Lack of association between hepatitis C infection and chronic kidney disease.
OBJECTIVE
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) can have a negative impact on the natural history of hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) infection; patients with HCV and CKD often have adverse outcomes. We evaluated a large and geographically diverse group of patients to determine whether HCV status has an independent effect on the risk of developing CKD.


METHODS
We conducted a cohort study of 167,569 patients included in a national health care claims database from January 1, 2003-December 31, 2006, with a mean follow-up of 25.3 months. We used multivariable logistic regression analyses to measure the independent effect of HCV status on the baseline prevalence of and progression to CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate, <60 mL/min/1.73 m(2)).


RESULTS
The baseline prevalence of CKD was similar in patients with versus those without HCV (5.3% vs 5.1%, P = .3). Similarly, among patients with preserved renal function at baseline (n = 82,629), there was no difference in the overall progression to CKD in patients with versus those without HCV (3.8% vs 3.5%, P = .1). HCV status was not associated with progression to CKD, even after adjusting for patient demographics, comorbidities, and use of relevant medications (odds ratio, 0.92; 95% confidence interval, 0.79-1.08).


CONCLUSIONS
We found no association between HCV and risk of development of CKD. These data are relevant in counseling HCV patients regarding the impact of HCV on renal function.
Asrani
Sumeet K
SK
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Buchanan
Paula
P
Pinsky
Brett
B
Rey
Lisa Rocca
LR
Schnitzler
Mark
M
Kanwal
Fasiha
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult