Herbal preparations are unregulated and widely used because of public perception of being “harmless” and “natural.” Hydroxycitric acid, an extract from the herb garcinia cambogia, is a popular weight-loss supplement used for centuries in Asia. Its effect on weight loss, although being demonstrated in animal studies, may be effective on humans, but with harmful consequences. This is the first report of acute kidney injury caused by an herbal product containing hydroxycitric acid.
Case Presentation
A 38-year-old obese woman presented to the emergency department for treatment of abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting of 3 days duration. Her medical history was significant for gastroesophageal reflux. The patient said she generally took no medication, but she had begun taking ranitidine 150 mg/d a few days previously and used an “occasional” hydrocodone/acetaminophen 5/500 tablet to ameliorate her abdominal pain. She denied use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and did not initially disclose her hydroxycitric acid herbal supplement use (500 mg/d 5 days per week for 1 year) until directly questioned by the admitting physician.
The patient’s positive findings were a hypertensive state of 145/76 mm Hg, an elevated creatinine level of 5.8 mg/dL (compared with a baseline of 0.79 mg/dL), and a fractional excretion of sodium greater than 4. Negative laboratory results were anti-nuclear and anti-neutrophil cell antibodies, C3, C4, and serum protein electrophoresis. Renal artery ultrasound was normal.
After the supplement was discontinued, her creatinine increased to 6.2 mg/dL (glomerular filtration rate of 8 mL/min) over the next day, necessitating nephrology to institute hemodialysis. Consequently, her renal function sufficiently improved, so no renal biopsy was performed. She was discharged on day 7 with a creatinine level of 1.6 mg/dL and glomerular filtration rate of 38 mL/min.
The temporal relationship of her symptoms, the prolonged use of hydroxycitric acid, the absence of other nephrotoxic agents except ranitidine, and the improvement of renal function after cessation of hydroxycitric acid support the impression of acute renal failure secondary to herbal nephropathy.
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— — Janette W. Li, MD, Paula Bordelon, DO
This article originally appeared in the November 2011 issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
