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The following is a summary of “Associations between intercurrent events and cardiorenal clinical outcomes in non-diabetic chronic kidney disease: a real-world retrospective cohort study in the United States,” published in the April 2025 issue of BMC Nephrology by Wanner et al. 

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects millions globally, with non-diabetic causes contributing up to 70%. Identifying early surrogate endpoints is key to improving cardiorenal outcome prediction. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess links between intercurrent events and clinical outcomes in non-diabetic CKD. 

They identified adults with non-diabetic stage 3/4 CKD from the US Optum Clinformatics® Data Mart. Outcomes included heart failure hospitalization, kidney failure/dialysis, and CKD stage worsening. Intercurrent events were captured post-inclusion from claims data, selected a priori or through a data-driven approach. Associations were quantified using Cox proportional hazards regression. 

The results showed the study cohort included 504,924 patients. An outpatient heart failure diagnosis code was associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for heart failure (HR: 12.92, 95% CI: 12.67–13.17). CKD stage 4 diagnosis code was linked to a higher risk of kidney failure/dialysis (HR: 3.75, 95% CI: 3.69–3.81). Potassium-removing resins and binding agents were associated with an increased risk of worsening CKD stage (HR: 4.83, 95% CI: 4.51–5.17). eGFR decline in 295,174 patients was associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for heart failure and kidney failure/dialysis. 

Investigators investigated and quantified associations between intercurrent events and clinical outcomes in non-diabetic CKD using US claims data. The approach may help identify early surrogate endpoints for clinical outcomes in CKD research. 

Source: bmcnephrol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12882-025-04021-6