Hi,I had read your query and according to me this is the most common age for acute renal failure or shut down of kidney due to any allergic reaction and dye is a most common agent for hypersensitivity reaction. Morphine does not damage the kidneys.

Hi. My name is Vinay. I am so sorry to hear about your aunt. I hope I will be able to help you understand a bit about what has been going on with her. Lets start with some basic information.

Kidney failure can be of different types.. If your Aunt was previously healthy then she might be suffering from "Acute" Kidney injury. In which case the judicious use of radiopaque compounds (Dyes) might help the team determine 'why' this whole thing began and try and address the cause directly. 'Dyes' absorb x-rays to enhance contrast of soft structures such as veins and arteries. There are two main types of dyes: high-osmolality contrast agents (HOCAs) and low-osmolality contrast agents (LOCA). HOCAs are less expensive and older versions of radiopaque dyes. LOCAs are more expensive but are less likely to cause adverse reactions.

So it really depends on the dye that was used to understand if it caused any further injury.

As far as morphine goes, my experience doesn't really point to narcotics directly injuring the kidney. I may be wrong... but then CIMS and Medscape are wrong with me :-).

Now there is a kind of roundabout way that an excessive dose of narcotics could do harm. These drugs do tend to drop peoples blood pressure. Low blood pressures can be bad for the Kidneys. She might have been taken to the ICU to monitor and support her blood pressure under close supervision.

Allergic reactions are really unfortunate and really random. I am so sorry this happened to your aunt. Her stay in the ICU will allow the team to observe her closely, and see if there is any long term injury to deal with. Drugs like Epinephrine, Adrenaline and very powerful antihistamines are given to treat allergic reactions. Again they are best given in the ICU.

So I hope this shed a bit of light on whats going on. I really hope your aunt gets better. Feel free to contact me through HCM if you need any more information.

Vinay