26th June 2023

Prescribing in Kidney Disease

Many drugs and their metabolites are excreted from the body via the kidneys; this can be by glomerular filtration and/or secretion in the tubules. Therefore, in the presence of renal dysfunction, the clearance of renally-excreted drugs can be impaired, leading to prolonged half-life and accumulation of the drug or metabolites with potentially significant clinical consequences. It is important to be cautious when prescribing in renal impairment, as reduced doses or increased dosing intervals of drugs may be required. The BNF and The Renal Drug Handbook are useful tools to aid prescribing in acute or chronic renal disease.