Acute interstitial nephritis due to sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor empagliflozin

Biopsy-proven acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) secondary to sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors has not been described previously. Here, we report on the management of a patient with severe acute kidney injury that developed 6 weeks after starting empagliflozin. The cause was confirmed as AIN on renal biopsy. Our patient recovered, without the need for dialysis, with discontinuation of empagliflozin and corticosteroid treatment. This novel clinical observation is likely to occur more frequently as these drugs are increasingly being prescribed, given that recent randomized controlled trials including EMPA-REG (Empagliflozin, Cardiovascular Outcomes, and Mortality in Type 2 Diabetes) showed SGLT2 inhibitors can decrease cardiovascular mortality, among other benefits, in high-risk diabetic populations.