Background There is minimal literature on the spectrum and long-term outcomes of acute kidney injury (AKI) from tropical countries. Methods Patients with AKI without underlying chronic kidney disease (CKD), were recruited from March 2017 to December 2018 to assess their outcomes. Survivors were followed for a year post-discharge. A linear model with fixed effects was created to compare the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) trajectories of patients with and without CKD at the end of follow-up. Results A total of 529 patients with AKI were recruited, of which 288 (54.4%) were hospital-acquired AKI. Infections and sepsis were the most common aetiologies for community-acquired AKI and hospital-acquired AKI. The overall mortality rate was 42.9% (n=227). The ICU stay (HR 1.78; 95% CI 1.08–2.93), mechanical ventilation (HR 1.98; 95% CI 1.09–3.54), and the requirement for inotropic support (HR 2.36; 95% CI 1.65–3.39) were independent risk factors of in-hospital mortality. Among 156 subjects with long-term follow-up, 70 (44.9%) developed CKD after a median follow-up of 12 months. Age (p<0.001) and hospital-acquired AKI (p=0.014) were significant predictors, whereas ICU stay and comorbid conditions did not influence the GFR trajectories. CKD patients showed a lower eGFR from the first follow-up (p<0.001). Conclusions AKI is associated with significant mortality. Even after an apparent recovery, around half the survivors progress to CKD at the end of 1 year.
Mattewada et al. (Wed,) studied this question.