Living after acute kidney injury: understanding the physical and psychosocial consequences

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is increasingly recognized as a condition with important long-term consequences, beyond kidney specific outcomes. This review addresses the growing population of AKI survivors and the need to better understand outcomes that matter to patients, which are often underrepresented in current care models.

Recent studies show that AKI survivors are at increased risk of recurrent AKI, progression to chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular events, rehospitalization, and mortality. Beyond these outcomes, accumulating evidence demonstrates a high burden of persistent physical, psychological, cognitive, and social impairments that significantly affect health-related quality of life. Despite this, structured post-AKI follow-up remains inconsistently implemented, and patient-reported outcomes are rarely incorporated into routine clinical practice or research.

A broader recognition of the multidimensional impact of AKI is needed to improve survivorship care. Integrating patient-centered outcomes into clinical practice and developing structured follow-up strategies may enhance long-term recovery and better align care with patients' needs.