What Are the Risk Factors for Contrast Agent induced Nephropathy?
As previously implied, the major risk factor is underlying renal dysfunction. Contrast agent induced nephropathy essentially never occurs if a patient s renal function is truly normal. The presence of diabetes, particularly if long standing, is probably not an independent risk factor, but it is a major contributing factor in the presence of renal dysfunction (8,15). Additional concerns, as noted, are dehydration, poor renal perfusion (as occurs with severe congestive heart failure), and the presence of other factors that may be nephrotoxic, such as certain medications or major surgery. The volume of contrast agent administered is another dependent risk factor: If renal function is truly normal (the 20-year-old healthy patient with a serum creatinine level of 1.2 mg/dL), then a high volume of contrast agent will not lead to nephropathy. If the patient has underlying renal dysfunction, however, increasing the volume of contrast agent injected will increase the likelihood of worsening ren
