Increased end-stage renal disease risk in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: A nationwide population-based study

AIM To estimate the risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). METHODS From January 2010 to December 2013, patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) were identified, based on both the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) and the rare, intractable disease registration program codes from the National Health Insurance (NHI) database in South Korea. We compared 38812 patients with IBD to age-and sex-matched non-IBD controls with a ratio of 1:3. Patients newly diagnosed with ESRD were identified with the ICD-10 code. RESULTS During a mean follow-up of 4.9 years, ESRD was detected in 79 (0.2%) patients with IBD and 166 (0.1%) controls. The incidence of ESRD in patients with IBD was 0.42 per 1000 person-years. Patients with IBD had a significantly higher risk of ESRD than controls [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 3.03; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.77-5.20; P < 0.001]. The incidences (per 1000 person-years) of ESRD were 0.51 in patients with CD and 0.13 in controls, respectively (adjusted HR = 6.33; 95%CI: 2.75-14.56; P < 0.001). In contrast, the incidence of ESRD was similar between the UC and control groups (0.37 vs 0.37 per 1000 person-years; adjusted HR = 2.01; 95%CI: 0.90-4.51; P = 0.089). CONCLUSION The risk of ESRD was elevated in patients with CD, but not UC. Patients with CD should be monitored carefully for signs of renal insufficiency.