Adalimumab as a cause of kidney injury in patients with Crohn's disease.

INTRODUCTION

Adalimumab (ADM) is a recombinant human monoclonal antibody (anti-TNFα) used to treat inflammatory bowel diseases. It can cause kidney injury (KI).

CASE DIAGNOSIS/TREATMENT: We describe two pediatric patients with Crohn's disease (CD) in whom ADM therapy was associated with kidney injury (KI). The drug was discontinued in both cases. For the first patient, changes were irreversible despite intensive glucocorticosteroid (GCS) therapy. For the second patient, discontinuation of ADM led to an improvement in kidney function.

CONCLUSIONS

Due to the risk of KI in patients undergoing ADM therapy, careful assessment of kidney function and early specialist referral are required. Timely withdrawal of ADM can significantly reduce kidney damage, but in some cases, the kidney damage can be irreversible.