N-acetylcysteine for the prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy in patients with pre-existing renal insufficiency or diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose: To identify benefit of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on patients with pre-existing renal insufficiency or diabetes.

Background: NAC administration is a common method for prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN). Nevertheless, its benefit on patients with pre-existing renal insufficiency or diabetes remains uncertain and controversial.

Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the efficacy of NAC for the prevention of CIN in patients with pre-existing renal insufficiency or diabetes were searched from the databases of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane library. Pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated using fixed-effects model by the Mantel-Haenszel test.

Results: Twenty RCTs involving 3466 subjects (1756 assigned to NAC and 1710 assigned to the control) were included in the pre-existing renal dysfunction group. Pooled analysis suggested a significant reduction in CIN among this group (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.61-0.93; p = 0.008). However, the nine trials comparing NAC versus control among patients with diabetes (NAC, 367 subjects; control, 358 subjects) showed no benefit of NAC for prevention of CIN (OR = 0.87; 95% CI, 0.58-1.30; p = 0.50). No significant heterogeneity was detected (p = 0.07; I2 = 34% for the group of pre-existing renal dysfunction; p = 0.40; I2 = 5% for the group of diabetes).

Conclusion: Our results suggest that NAC decreases the incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy among patients with pre-existing renal insufficiency. The benefit was not existed in patients with diabetes.