Renal effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents.

In conclusion, there are a large variety of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs presently available for clinical use, which on occasion, particularly in human beings with a variety of disease states, can lead to relatively rapid decreases in renal function, particularly glomerular filtration rate. Although it is possible to predict which classes of patients may be more susceptible to this untoward event, even in these groups of patients the incidence of this phenomenon is relatively uncommon and does not preclude the use of these drugs, but rather it suggests that the physician be wary during their administration. Although it is attractive to consider the possibility that these effects are, in part, due to a decrease in endogenous prostaglandins, this issue is still open to active investigation.