ABSTRACT
An outbreak of rapidly progressive renal failure was observed in Belgium in 1993 and was related to a slimming regimen involving Chinese herbs. Extensive interstitial fibrosis with atrophy and tubular loss was the major histological lesion. Aristolochic acid has been suspected to be responsible for nephrotoxicity. The use of Chinese herbal medicines is very popular in Korea. We report the presence of a nephrotoxic compound in herb medications, which led to end-stage renal failure in a patient with complete remission state of minimal change disease. The typical and sequential pathologic changes in our patient following the consumption of herbs suggest possible relationship to herbal medicines, and end-stage renal disease, despite the fact that a cause-and-effect relationship cannot be automatically inferred.