Association between Helicobacter pylori infection and the subsequent risk of end-stage renal disease: a nationwide population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The association between Helicobacter pylori infection and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) events remains unknown. We assessed the relationship between H. pylori infection requiring hospital admission and the subsequent risks of ESRD.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study in which data from the National Health Insurance system of Taiwan was used. The H. pylori-infected cohort comprised 20,068 patients. Each participant was frequency-matched by age and sex with 4 individuals from the general population without H. pylori-infected. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to estimate the influence of H. pylori infection on the risk of ESRD.

RESULTS

The overall incidence of ESRD was 3.72 times greater in the H. pylori-infected cohort than in the non-infected cohort (11.1 vs. 2.96 per 1000 person-years), with an adjusted HR of 2.58 [95% confidence interval (CI)=2.33-2.86]. The risk of ESRD markedly increased in patients with H. pylori infection combined with at least one of the following concomitant comorbidities: hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia and coronary artery disease.

CONCLUSIONS

This is currently the largest nation-based study in which the risk of ESRD in H. pylori-infected patients was examined. H. pylori infection was associated with a subsequent risk of ESRD. H. pylori-infected patients with concomitant chronic kidney disease (CKD) or cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors were at higher risk of ESRD than were those who had a single CKD or CVD risk factor.