On the earliest descriptions of the uremic syndrome in medical literature.

Abstract

Uremic syndrome refers to the clinical manifestations of renal failure (acute or chronic) that results from the accumulation of several endogenous toxins normally excreted by the kidneys and can be fatal unless the primary cause is addressed and the toxins removed by dialysis. A historical description of the syndrome is traditionally believed to start in the 18th - 19th century through seminal works in the field of experimental medicine. This account, however, ignores the possibility of clinical apperception of this syndrome in ancient medical literatures. The Sushruta Samhita (SS), a Sanskrit text whose authorship is attributed to the legendary ancient Indian surgeon Sushruta (6th century BC), is well known for its pioneering descriptions of several surgical procedures, even though its contribution to the fields of internal medicine and especially nephrology is detailed. Prameha, a term that first appears in the SS, and subsequently in later historical Ayurvedic (traditional Indian medicine) texts, denotes a multi-systemic disease syndrome impacting the neurological, cardiac, dermatological, and gastrointestinal systems that is recognized through its intimate association with urinary abnormalities such as hematuria, frothy urine, or glycosuria. This construct is highly consistent with uremic syndrome originating from multiple renal disease processes such as acute glomerulonephritis, nephrotic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, etc. Furthermore, medical treatment of prameha, as detailed in the original text, reflects several recently validated approaches to managing chronic kidney disease, supporting the hypothesis that this historical entity may be one of the earliest descriptions of uremic syndrome in medical history.