In the 1970s in south-western Finland, chronic interstitial nephritis, often related to analgesic abuse, was the most common cause of chronic renal failure.
In an area of south-western Finland with 195 000 inhibitants and a highly centralized health care system, all subjects with elevated serum creatinine (greater than or equal to 230 mumol/l) were registered on the basis of data collected from all hospitals and clinical laboratories of the region. The prevalence of chronic renal failure (S-creatinine greater than or equal to 230 mumol/l) was 67 per 100 000 inhabitants and that of severe chronic renal failure (S-creatinine greater than or equal to 500 mumol/l) 12.3/10(5). The annual incidence of chronic renal failure (S-creatinine greater than or equal to 230 mumol/l) was 31.7 per 100 000 inhabitants and that of severe chronic renal failure (S-creatinine greater than or equal to 500 mumol/l) 11.9/10(5). Age-specific prevalences and incidences rose progressively with age and were very high in the aged population. Chronic interstitial nephritis, in a broad sense, was the most common cause of chronic renal failure, and it was related to analgesic abuse in about half of the cases. Eleven of 68 subjects entering the study with a serum creatinine greater than or equal to 500 mumol/l had no previous knowledge of their chronic renal disease.
Pasternack et al. (Sat,) studied this question.