Acute Kidney Injury in Asia

Abstract

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common disorder and is associated with a high morbidity and mortality worldwide. The diversity of the climate and of the socioeconomic and developmental status in Asia has a great influence on the etiology and presentation of AKI in different regions. In view of the International Society of Nephrology's 0by25 initiative, more and more attention has been paid to AKI in Asian countries.

Summary: In this review, we summarize the recent achievements with regard to the prevalence and clinical patterns of AKI in Asian countries. Epidemiological studies have revealed the huge medical and economic burden of AKI in Eastern Asian countries, whereas the true epidemiological picture of AKI in the tropical areas is still not well understood. In high-income Asian regions, the presentation of AKI resembles that in other developed countries in Europe and North America. In low-income regions and tropical areas, infections, environmental toxins, and obstetric complications remain the major culprits in most cases of AKI. Preventive opportunities are missed because of failure to recognize the risk factors and early signs of AKI. Patients often present late for treatment or are recognized late by physicians, which leads to more severe kidney injury, multiorgan involvement, and increased mortality. There is significant undertreatment of AKI in many regions, and medical resources for renal replacement therapy are not universally available.

Key messages: More efforts should be made to increase public awareness, establish preventive approaches in communities, educate health-care practitioner entities to achieve better recognition, and form specialist renal teams to improve the treatment of AKI. The choice of renal replacement therapy should fit patients' needs, and peritoneal dialysis can be practiced more frequently in the treatment of AKI patients.

Facts from east and west: (1) More than 90% of the patients recruited in AKI studies using KDIGO-equivalent criteria originate from North America, Europe, or Oceania, although these regions represent less than a fifth of the global population. However, the pooled incidence of AKI in hospitalized patients reaches 20% globally with moderate variance between regions. (2) The lower incidence rates observed in Asian countries (except Japan) may be due to a poorer recognition rate, for instance because of less systematically performed serum creatinine tests. (3) AKI patients in South and Southeastern Asia are younger than in East Asia and Western countries and present with fewer comorbidities. (4) Asian countries (and to a certain extent Latin America) face specific challenges that lead to AKI: nephrotoxicity of traditional herbal and less strictly regulated nonprescription medicines, environmental toxins (snake, bee, and wasp venoms), and tropical infectious diseases (malaria and leptospirosis). A higher incidence and less efficient management of natural disasters (particularly earthquakes) are also causes of AKI that Western countries are less likely to encounter. (5) The incidence of obstetric AKI decreased globally together with an improvement in socioeconomic levels particularly in China and India in the last decades. However, antenatal care and abortion management must be improved to reduce AKI in women, particularly in rural areas. (6) Earlier nephrology referral and better access to peritoneal dialysis should improve the outcome of AKI patients.

Keywords: Acute kidney injury; Cause; Epidemiology; Recognition; Renal replacement therapy.