Toxic and metabolic kidney injury: focus on energy drinks

Currently, energy drinks on the market are represented by medium and highly carbonated, as well as non-alcoholic and low-alcohol products. More than 500 brands producing energy drinks are registered in the world. Long-term abuse of energy drinks can lead to serious consequences. Kidney damage caused by energy drinks is becoming an urgent medical and social problem, since with prolonged use there is dependence on them, numbness of the limbs, palpitations, headaches and dizziness, pain in the precordial region, increased blood clotting, frequent urination, irritability, depression, insomnia, increased fatigue, anxiety, fear and convulsions. Widespread and uncontrolled use of energy drinks can cause social imbalance in society, decreased mental and physical performance, especially in adolescents. The toxic properties of energy drinks are manifested depending on the volume and composition, presentation, duration of intake, as well as concomitant disease. Availability, wide popularization through advertising in the media, insufficient awareness of young people about the harmful effects of energy drinks serves as a condition for the development of damage to internal organs when consuming them. The article presents data from scientific literature on the epidemiology of risk factors for the development and progression of chronic renal failure. Negative effects on human health with long-term abuse of energy drinks are discussed. The article presents the results of clinical observation of patient N., 31 years old, who developed a neo-oliguric variant of acute kidney injury against the background of long-term use of energy drinks. Laboratory testing revealed hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, hypercreatininemia (blood creatinine 161.0 μmol/l) and hypercytokinemia due to an increase in the serum concentration of interleukin-6. The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was at the level of 48 ml/min. Against the background of the therapy, kidney function was restored: blood creatinine 85.9 μmol/l, GFR increased to 116 ml/min.