Medical researchers from Kenya have revealed that a popular anti-retroviral drug in circulation is causing kidney damage.
Tenofovir, commonly referred to as TR, is one of the most widely used antiretroviral (ARV) medication in Kenya and is also a component of Truvada, a recently introduced daily pill for HIV prevention in Kenya.
The researchers from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and Moi University School of Medicine presented evidence suggesting the drug can cause serious kidney complications in patients.
Despite its side effects, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends it for first line management of HIV/Aids in adults, adolescents, as well as children.
The Ministry of Health insists the drug's side effects are "mild" but researchers say that this is far from the truth; that apart from their own findings, there are several published reports linking Tenofovir to kidney poisoning.
"Here we report two clinical cases seen in our renal clinic with high creatinine levels suggestive of kidney poisoning from Tenofovir," wrote the researchers.
Creatinine is a waste product in the body used to diagnose the health of the kidney; a higher threshold indicates the possibility of an infection.
The team conducted research on two HIV+ male patients and both of them reported acute kidney injury.
In the first case, the patient had just been diagnosed with HIV, and within three months developed kidney problems.
The second patient was admitted to hospital with kidney injuries after two years on ARVs, which included Tenofovir.
It was found that when Tenofovir was withdrawn, the two patients' kidney functioning went back to normal.
The drug, they said, had made the patients' kidney more vulnerable, making it more likely for them to develop renal problems.
