Patients with CKD had high risk of developing hyperkalemia

Results published in Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation showed patients with chronic kidney disease had a high risk of developing hyperkalemia, with an increased risk found among patients with severe CKD and heart failure and those treated with spironolactone.

Researchers assessed the incidence rate of hyperkalemia in primary or hospital care among 157,766 patients newly diagnosed with CKD in northern Denmark. Researchers compared risk factors and clinical outcomes between patients with CKD and hyperkalemia and matched patients with CKD but without hyperkalemia.

Results showed 28% of patients with CKD experienced hyperkalemia. Within the first year, researchers found a 9%, 18%, 31% and 42% rate of hyperkalemia among patients with stage 3A, 3B, 4 or 5 CKD, respectively. Risk factors associated with hyperkalemia included diabetes, heart failure and use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or spironolactone, according to results. Researchers found 34% of patients with CKD who developed hyperkalemia had any acute hospitalization 6 months before the hyperkalemia event. This incidence increased to 57% 6 months after hyperkalemia, results showed. Patients with CKD who experienced hyperkalemia had a 6-month mortality rate of 26% compared with 6% in patients with CKD without hyperkalemia, according to results. Researchers found patients with CKD with hyperkalemia had a 2.11-fold higher 6-month HR for any acute hospitalization compared with patients without hyperkalemia. Patients with hyperkalemia also had HRs of 2.07 for cardiac diagnoses, 2.29 for ventricular arrhythmias, 3.26 for cardiac arrest, 4.77 for intensive care and 4.85 for death compared to matched patients. – by Casey Tingle

Disclosures: Thomsen reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.

Published by:

Sources/Disclosures

Collapse

Source:

Thomsen RW, et al. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2018;doi:10.1093/ndt/gfx312.