Renal co-morbidity in patients with rheumatic diseases

Abstract

Renal co-morbidity is common in patients with rheumatic disease based on regular assessment of serum and urine parameters of renal function. When patients present with both arthritis and renal abnormalities the following questions have to be addressed. Is kidney disease a complication of rheumatic disease or its management, or are they both manifestations of a single systemic autoimmune disease? Is rheumatic disease a complication of kidney disease and its management? How do rheumatic disease and kidney disease affect each other even when they are unrelated? The present review provides an overview of how to address these questions in daily practice.

Figure 1

Algorithm for screening and monitoring of renal co-morbidity in rheumatic disease patients. See text for details. ¹⁾Regular screening may be performed on a 6-monthly to 12-monthly basis. CKD, chronic kidney disease; eGFR, estimate glomerular filtration rate; MTX, methotrexate; NSAID, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug; UTI, urinary tract infection.