Advanced CKD Among Adults With Cerebral Palsy: Incidence and Risk Factors

Recent evidence suggests that adults with cerebral palsy have an elevated risk for developing advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). To develop effective interventions, the objective was to identify whether demographics and preexisting medical conditions are risk factors for advanced CKD among adults with cerebral palsy.

Retrospective cohort study.

Data were from the Optum Clinformatics Data Mart. Adults 18 years or older with cerebral palsy and without advanced CKD (CKD stage 4 or later) were identified from 2013 and subsequently followed up from January 1, 2014, to the development of advanced CKD, death, loss to follow-up, or end of the study period (December 31, 2017), whichever came first. Diagnostic, procedure, and diagnosis-related group codes were used to identify cerebral palsy, incident cases of advanced CKD, comorbid intellectual disability, and 10 preexisting medical conditions.

Demographic variables and 10 preexisting medical conditions: CKD stages 1-3, hypertension, diabetes, heart and cerebrovascular disease, non-CKD urologic conditions, bowel conditions, respiratory disease, skeletal fragility, arthritis, and dysphagia.

Incidence of advanced CKD.

Crude incidence rate (IR) of advanced CKD and IR ratios with 95% CIs were estimated. Cox proportional hazards regression models that were adjusted for demographics, intellectual disability, and preexisting medical conditions were used to evaluate the adjusted independent effect of predictor variables.

237 of the 8,011 adults with cerebral palsy developed advanced CKD during follow-up (IR, 10.16/1,000 person years; 95% CI, 8.87-11.46). In the crude analysis, all preexisting medical conditions were associated with an elevated IR and IR ratio of advanced CKD. In the fully adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression model, the HR was elevated for older age, CKD stages 1-3 (HR, 3.32; 95% CI, 2.39-4.61), diabetes (HR, 2.69; 95% CI, 2.03-3.57), hypertension (HR, 1.54; 95% CI, .10-2.16), heart and cerebrovascular disease (HR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.12-2.07), and non-CKD urologic conditions (HR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.05-1.84).

Private insurance database, short follow-up period, and lack of laboratory values, such as albuminuria/proteinuria.

Advanced CKD was common among adults with cerebral palsy and its development was associated with both traditional and nontraditional urologic risk factors.