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. 2019 Dec;286(6):711-722.
doi: 10.1111/joim.12964. Epub 2019 Aug 23.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease increases risk of incident advanced chronic kidney disease: a propensity-matched cohort study

Haesuk Park  1 , Ghadeer K Dawwas  1 , Xinyue Liu  1 , Mindie H Nguyen  2
Affiliations

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease increases risk of incident advanced chronic kidney disease: a propensity-matched cohort study

Haesuk Park et al. J Intern Med. 2019 Dec.

Abstract

Background: As the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) escalates, understanding its potential impact on the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is needed.

Objective: To determine the longitudinal association of NAFLD with the development of advanced CKD in the United States.

Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis of the Truven Health MarketScan Database (2006-2015) was conducted. We used Cox proportional hazards models to compare the risk of developing CKD stages 3-5 in patients with NAFLD versus non-NAFLD, identified by ICD-9 codes, after 1:3 propensity score (PS) matching.

Results: In a cohort of 262 619 newly diagnosed patients with NAFLD and 769 878 PS (1:3)-matched non-NAFLD patients, we identified 5766 and 8655 new advanced (stage 3-5) CKD cases, respectively. The crude CKD incidence rate was 8.2 and 5.5 per 1000 person-years in NAFLD and non-NAFLD groups, respectively. In multivariable Cox model, patients with NAFLD had a 41% increased risk of developing advanced CKD compared with non-NAFLD patients [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR), 1.41; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.36-1.46]. In the sensitivity analysis adjusting for time-varying covariates after NAFLD diagnosis, NAFLD persisted as a significant CKD risk factor (aHR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.52-1.66) and the association remained significant when stratified by age, gender and pre-existing comorbidities. The risk of CKD increased in NAFLD with compensated cirrhosis (aHR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.36-1.59) and decompensated cirrhosis (aHR, 2.28; 95% CI, 2.12-2.46).

Conclusion: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease was independently associated with an increased risk of advanced CKD development suggesting renal function screening and regular monitoring are needed in this population.

Keywords: chronic kidney disease; cirrhosis; cohort; nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

Others declare no conflicts of interest that pertain to this study.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Cumulative incidence of chronic kidney disease by NAFLD status
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Factors associated with an increased risk of chronic kidney disease among NAFLD patients
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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