Modest Decrease in eGFR Linked to Increase in Adverse Outcomes

TUESDAY, June 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- For adults with no history of kidney disease, modest reductions in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) are associated with increased rates of adverse outcomes, according to a study published online June 23 in The BMJ.

Junayd Hussain, from the University of Ottawa in Canada, and colleagues conducted a retrospective population-based cohort study involving 8,703,871 adults (aged 18 to 65 years) with at least one outpatient eGFR value and no history of kidney disease to examine age-specific associations of modest reductions in eGFR with adverse outcomes.

The researchers found that from Jan. 1, 2008, to March 31, 2021, there were modest reductions in age-specific eGFR of 18.0, 18.8, and 17.0 percent in those aged 18 to 39, 40 to 49, and 50 to 65 years, respectively. Compared with age-specific referents, adverse outcomes were consistently higher for ages 18 to 39 versus older groups across all eGFR categories. For modest reductions (eGFR 70 to 80 mL/min/1.73 m²), the hazard ratios were 1.42, 1.13, and 1.08 for ages 18 to 39, 40 to 49, and 50 to 65 years, respectively (4.39, 9.61, and 23.4 per 1,000 person-years). For each individual outcome and in many sensitivity analyses, the results persisted.

"The findings suggest that more frequent measurement and monitoring of kidney function (through both eGFR and albumin to creatinine ratio measurements) in younger adults might aid in identification of individuals at risk to prevent chronic kidney disease and its complications," the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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