Background: Heat-related injury (HRI) induces systemic inflammation and is associated with acute kidney injury and subsequent progression to chronic kidney disease (CKD). Currently, no established pharmacological intervention exists to prevent long-term renal deterioration following HRI. This study aimed to evaluate the association between colchicine use and long-term renal outcomes in patients with HRI. Methods: We conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study using data from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database. Adult patients diagnosed with HRI between 2000 and 2015 were identified. Colchicine users were defined as patients who received colchicine within 7 days after the index HRI event and were compared with propensity score-matched nonusers. The primary outcomes included CKD progression, initiation of hemodialysis, CKD-related mortality, and all-cause mortality. Results: A total of 4961 eligible patients with HRI were included in the analysis. During a median follow-up of 9.65 years, colchicine use was associated with a significantly lower risk of CKD progression, initiation of hemodialysis, and CKD-related mortality compared with nonuse. No significant association was observed between colchicine use and all-cause mortality. Conclusions: Colchicine use following HRI was associated with favorable long-term renal outcomes, including reduced risks of CKD progression and dialysis. Although causal inference cannot be established due to the observational design, these findings suggest a potential renoprotective association of colchicine in patients with HRI.
Tseng et al. (Mon,) studied this question.