Friday, January 09, 2009

Canadian Officials Suspect Case of Renal Failure Related to Propolis Use

Propolis: Suspected Association with Renal Failure
Canadian Adverse Reaction Newsletter, Volume 19 - Issue 1 - January 2009

Propolis is a natural resinous product collected by bees that is used in the construction of hives. It is available in Canada as a single ingredient or in combination in many natural health products (NHPs). Propolis is used for the relief of various conditions, including bacterial, fungal and viral infections, inflammation and, topically, for skin and mouth lesions. In the April 2005 issue of the Canadian Adverse Reaction Newsletter, an article described adverse reactions (ARs) such as allergic reactions and skin or mucous membrane irritation suspected of being associated with bee products.

Health Canada received a report of a 3-year-old boy with a known history of gluten enteropathy in whom acute renal failure developed while he was taking propolis. The gluten enteropathy was stable with dietary restriction. The child received the homeopathic product containing propolis 2–3 times per week as needed as prophylaxis for infection. The exact form and dose of propolis used was not reported. The child was also taking other NHPs in a sporadic fashion; however, information on the dosage and frequency of exposure to these other products is unknown…

Propolis was stopped, and his creatinine level returned to normal. No information was provided on the child’s clinical status or need for hospital care. The cessation of propolis was the only reported form of treatment.

A case of acute renal failure requiring hemodialysis following the use of propolis was previously reported in the literature. This case involved 2 exposure periods resulting in positive dechallenge and rechallenge in a 59-year-old man with a history of cholangiocarcinoma who had self-medicated with a Brazilian variety of propolis.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The gluten enteropathy was stable with dietary restriction. The child received the homeopathic product containing propolis 2–3 times per week as needed as prophylaxis for infection. The exact form and dose of propolis used was not reported. The child was also taking other NHPs in a sporadic fashion; however, information on the dosage and frequency of exposure to these other products is unknown…

Anonymous said...

Are you sure? it's known that propolis doesn't have any serious side effects except allergy for some people only..

Anonymous said...

OF COURSE HOW COULD ANYONE TRY THIS ON A THREE YEAR OLD THE BODY IS NOT FULLY FUNCTIONAL YET