Prevalence of contrast nephropathy following the administration of N-acetyl cysteine; a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: Nephropathy is a serious complication in patients receiving contrast during imaging. N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) can reduce the contrast nephropathy. This review evaluates the prevalence of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) following the administration of NAC. Methods: A systematic literature search and meta-analysis was conducted in Scopus, Web of Science and PubMed for articles published by December 30, 2019 including the keywords of "N-acetyl cysteine ", "Acute kidney injury", "Nephrotoxicity", "Contrast media", "Contrast-induced AKI" and "Contrast nephropathy". Results: A total of 29 articles of 537 studies examining 5,980 individuals were incorporated in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Pooled estimation of a meta-analysis of prevalence studies reported a prevalence of 9% (0.09), i.e. nine out of every 100 patients undergoing contrast media resulted in CIN but a prevalence of 14% (0.14) was observed in the placebo group. In addition, 41 out of every 100 patients with hypertension undergoing contrast media resulted in CIN (prevalence: 41%) and 64 out of every 100 patients with diabetes undergoing contrast media resulted in CIN (prevalence: 64%). Conclusion: The prevalence of CIN in the group receiving NAC is lower than those who did not receive this drug. Additionally, in patients suffering from diabetes and hypertension, CIN is more prevalent compared to healthy people.