Improvement in Mortality and End-Stage Renal Disease in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes After Acute Kidney Injury Who Are Prescribed Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitors.

OBJECTIVE

To focus on the potential beneficial effects of the pleiotropic effects of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4is) on attenuating progression of diabetic kidney disease in reducing the long-term effect of the acute kidney injury (AKI) to chronic kidney disease (CKD) transition.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Data from the National Health Insurance Research Database from January 1, 1999, to July 31, 2011, were analyzed, and patients with diabetes weaning from dialysis-requiring AKI were identified. Cox proportional hazards models and inverse-weighted estimates of the probability of treatment were used to adjust for treatment selection bias. The outcomes were incident end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events, and hospitalized heart failure.

RESULTS

Of a total of 6165 patients with diabetes weaning from dialysis-requiring AKI identified, 5635 (91.4%) patients were DPP4i nonusers and 530 (8.6%) patients were DPP4i users. Compared with DPP4i nonusers, DPP4i users had a lower risk of ESRD (hazard ratio, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.70-0.94; P=.04) and all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.23-0.34; P<.001) after adjustments for CKD, advanced CKD, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin II receptor blocker use. In contrast, the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events and hospitalized heart failure did not differ significantly between groups.

CONCLUSION

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor users had a lower risk of ESRD and mortality than did nonusers among patients with diabetes after weaning from dialysis-requiring AKI. Therefore, a prospective study of AKI to CKD transitions after episodes of AKI is needed to optimally target DPP4i interventions.