Pregnancy-Related Acute Kidney Injury is on the Rise and Socioeconomic Factors Play a Role, Study Finds

New York, NY – May 9, 2019 - A new study suggests that socioeconomic factors play a significant role in the increased risk of pregnancy-related acute kidney injury among minority women and the findings will be presented at the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) 2019 Spring Clinical Meetings in Boston in this week.

 

The study titled “Racial Disparities in Pregnancy-Related Acute Kidney Injury” will be a “poster presentation” at the annual meeting of nephrology professionals by investigators from Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, NY.

 

“The US has one of the highest rates of maternal morbidity and mortality in the developed world. Non-Hispanic black women in the United States are at three to four times higher risk of pregnancy related mortality than white women, for reasons that are poorly understood and undoubtedly complex,” said co-author Dr. Lili Chan of Mount Sinai, New York, NY. “To date, racial trends in pregnancy-related acute kidney injury have not been studied; although we hypothesized that minority women would have higher incidence of pregnancy-related acute kidney injury and higher risk of adverse outcomes.”

 

According to the authors, from 2005 to 2015, pregnancy related acute kidney injury has risen 300 percent.

 

Pregnancy-related acute kidney injury (Pr-AKI) “is increasing significantly and associated with adverse outcomes in pregnancy, with a sharper rise in racial/ethnic minorities,” the study says. “Many of those differences are attenuated after adjustment for socioeconomic factors, although notable differences in preterm labor and preeclampsia remain.”

 

“We identified hospitalizations for pregnancy using International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes, and diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) among those hospitalizations,” they wrote. “We estimated trends in AKI and the impact of race on outcomes, then adjusted for socioeconomics and hospital related factors.”

 

The Mount Sinai Hospital team who authored the study are Dr. Kelly Beers, Dr. Mihir Dave, Dr. Girish Nadkarni, Dr. Steven Coca and Dr. Lili Chan.

 

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects an estimated 30 million American adults and that number is growing.

 

In Boston, thousands of professionals in nephrology will gather to share the latest information, treatment and studies of CKD. Teams will present hundreds of studies during the “poster presentations.”

 

For the past 27 years, nephrology healthcare professionals from across the country have come to NKF’s Spring Clinical Meetings to learn about the newest developments related to all aspects of nephrology practice; network with colleagues; and present their research findings. The NKF Spring Clinical Meetings are designed for meaningful change in the multidisciplinary healthcare teams’ skills, performance, and patient health outcomes. It is the only conference of its kind that focuses on translating science into practice for the entire healthcare team.  This year’s Spring Clinical Meetings will be held May 8-12 in Boston, MA.

 

Healthcare professionals can join NKF to receive access to tools and resources for both patients and professionals, discounts on professional education, and access to a network of thousands of individuals who treat patients with kidney disease.  

 

In the United States, 30 million adults are estimated to have chronic kidney disease—and most aren’t aware of it.  1 in 3 American adults are at risk for chronic kidney disease.  Risk factors for kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and family history.  People of African American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian or Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease.  African Americans are 3 times more likely than Whites, and Hispanics are nearly 1.5 times more likely than non-Hispanics to develop end stage renal disease (kidney failure).