Background: Estimating the incidence of End-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in stroke survivors is important to assess and predict clinical course, improve post-stroke quality of life, and ultimately reduce health burden.
Aim: Our objective was to assess the risk of ESKD in patients compared to a matched stroke-free control cohort.
Methods: A nationwide retrospective cohort study was conducted in 315,326 stroke subjects and 390,781 matched stroke-free control subjects. Health examination results and claims data were collected from the Korean National Health Insurance Service during 2010-2018. Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the risk of ESKD in the stroke cohort.
Results: During a mean follow-up period of 4.3 years, the incidence of ESKD was 1.83 per 100,000 person-years in the stroke cohort versus 0.57 per 100,000 person-years in the control cohort. The stroke cohort exhibited a significantly higher risk of developing ESKD compared to the matched control, with an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of 1.79 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.67-1.93). Stroke survivors were associated with a higher risk of developing ESKD, regardless of the severity of disability (aHRs of 1.93, 95% CI 1.69-2.21 for severe disability; 1.71, 95% CI 1.41-2.07 for mild disability; and 1.78, 95% CI 1.65-1.92 for no disability), compared to the matching control cohort. The elevated risk was observed in both hemorrhagic stroke (aHR 1.96, 95% CI 1.73-2.23) and ischemic stroke (aHR 1.75, 95% CI 1.62-1.89).
Conclusions: This study demonstrates that stroke patients have a significantly higher risk of incident ESKD. This highlights the need for heightened clinical awareness and improved monitoring of kidney function in this population.
Keywords: Cerebrovascular disease; End-stage kidney disease; Incidence; Renal insufficiency, chronic; Risk factor; Stroke.