Risk of chronic kidney disease in patients with a hyperglycemic crisis as the initial presentation of type 2 diabetes

Abstract Limited data exist on long-term renal outcomes in patients with hyperglycemic crisis (HC) as initial type 2 diabetes presentation. We evaluated the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) development in those with concurrent HC at diagnosis. Utilizing Taiwan’s insurance claims from adults newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes during 2006–2015, we created HC and matched non-HC cohorts. We assessed incident CKD/diabetic kidney disease (DKD) by 2018’s end, calculating the hazard ratio (HR) with the Cox model . Each cohort comprised 13,242 patients. The combined CKD and DKD incidence was two-fold higher in the HC cohort than in the non-HC cohort (56.47 versus 28.49 per 1000 person-years) with an adjusted HR (aHR) of 2.00 (95% confidence interval CI 1.91–2.10]). Risk increased from diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) (aHR:1.69 95% CI 1.59–1.79) to hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state (HHS) (aHR:2.47 95% CI 2.33–2.63) and further to combined DKA-HHS (aHR:2.60 95% CI 2.29–2.95). Subgroup analysis in individuals aged ≥ 40 years revealed a similar trend with slightly reduced incidences and HRs. Patients with HC as their initial type 2 diabetes presentation face a higher CKD risk than do those without HC. Enhanced medical attention and customized interventions are crucial to reduce this risk.