[Capillarosclerosis of the efferent urinary tract as an indication of analgesic abuse. Incidence in unselected autopsies in a large West German town].

In a prospective study conducted during one year, postmortem examination of 500 unselected adults revealed in 13 cases (2.6%) a marked capillarosclerosis of the mucosa of the renal pelvis, considered to be a reliable histological sign of phenacetin and paracetamol abuse. These results were obtained in four men (1.5% of the total number of autopsied men) and nine women (3.9% of the autopsied women). Thus, capillarosclerosis is 2.6 time more frequent in women than in men.