Incidence of Kidney Replacement Therapy and Subsequent Outcomes Among Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Findings From the ERA Registry

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVE: There is a dearth of data characterizing patients requiring kidney replacement therapy (KRT) for kidney failure due to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and their clinical outcomes. The aim of this study was to describe trends in incidence and prevalence of KRT among these patients as well as to compare their outcomes to patients treated with KRT for diseases other than SLE.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study based on kidney registry data.

SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: Patients recorded in 14 registries of patients receiving kidney replacement therapy that provided data to the European Renal Association (ERA) Registry between 1992 and 2016.

PREDICTOR: SLE as cause of kidney failure.

OUTCOMES: Incidence and prevalence of KRT, patient survival while receiving KRT, patient and graft survival after kidney transplantation, and specific causes of death.

ANALYTICAL APPROACH: Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox regression models were fit to compare patient survival between the SLE and non-SLE groups, overall KRT, dialysis and patient and graft survival after kidney transplantation.

RESULTS: In total, 1826 patients commenced KRT for kidney failure due to SLE, representing an incidence of 0.80 per million population (pmp) per year. The incidence remained stable during the study period (annual percent change=0.1 [95%CI: -0.6 ; 0.8]). Patient survival among patients with SLE receiving KRT was similar to survival within the comparator group (HR=1.11 [95%CI: 0.99-1.23]). After kidney transplantation, the risk of death was greater among patients with SLE than among patients within the comparator group (HR=1.25 [95%CI: 1.02-1.53]), while the risk of all-cause graft failure was similar (HR=1.09 [95%CI: 0.95-1.27]). Ten-year patient overall survival on KRT, and patient and graft survival after kidney transplantation improved over the study period (HR=0.71 [95%CI: 0.56-0.91], 0.43 [0.27-0.69] and 0.60 [0.43-0.84], respectively). Patients with SLE receiving KRT were significantly more likely to die from infections (24.8%) than patients in the comparator group (16.9%, p<0.001).

LIMITATIONS: No data were available on extrarenal manifestations of SLE, drug treatments, comorbidities, kidney transplant characteristics, or relapses of SLE.

CONCLUSION: The prognosis of patients with SLE receiving KRT has improved over time. Survival of patients with SLE requiring KRT was similar when compared to patients requiring KRT due to other causes of kidney failure. Survival following kidney transplantation was worse among patients with SLE.