Current RMA Instruments
| Reasonable Hypothesis SOP | 77 of 2016 |
| Balance of Probabilities SOP | 78 of 2016 |
Changes from previous Instruments
ICD Coding:
- ICD-9-CM Codes: 583.89
- ICD-10-AM Codes: N14.0
Brief description
Analgesic nephropathy, a chronic kidney disease, should now be a very rare diagnosis. The principal cause of the condition was chronic heavy phenacetin intake. Phenacetin was found in compound analgesic preparations (e.g. Bex). Phenacetin was removed from the Australian market in 1975.
Confirming the diagnosis
Clinical features of analgesic nephropathy include hypertension, pyuria (white blood cells in the urine) and anaemia. In someone supsected clinically of having analgesic nephropathy the diagnosis is confirmed by a CT scan of the kidneys showing papillary calcification.
The relevant medical practitioner is a physician or a nephrologist.
Additional diagnoses covered by SOP
- Phenacetin nephritis
Conditions not covered by SOP
- Other forms of nephritis
Clinical onset
Once the diagnosis has been confirmed, clinical onset can be dated to the first evidence of renal impairment (usually on blood tests), hypertension, or the first symptoms attributed to the condition by a treating practitioner.