Social Support in Older Adults With CKD: A Report From the CRIC (Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort) Study.

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Social support in older adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a potentially modifiable factor that may affect important clinical outcomes such as health-related quality of life, cognitive function, and frailty. However, limited data about the effects of social support in older patients with non-dialysis-dependent CKD exist. Our objective was to evaluate the association of social support with health-related quality of life, cognitive function, and frailty in older adults with CKD. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of a prospective cohort study. SETTING & POPULATION: 1,851 participants older than 65 years with CKD enrolled in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study. EXPOSURE: Social support (Lubben Social Network Scale [LSNS]). OUTCOMESS: Health-related quality of life (Kidney Disease Quality of Life-36), cognitive function (Modified Mini-Mental State Examination, Trail Making Test A & B, and Buschke Selective Reminder Tests), and frailty (modified Fried frailty criteria). ANALYTIC APPROACH: Multivariable, linear, and logistic regression to determine the association between social support and health-related quality of life, cognitive function, and frailty. RESULTS: Low social support, defined as LSNS score < 12, was present in 22% of participants. On multivariable analysis, higher social support was associated with higher health-related quality of life (ß coefficient per 1-SD increase in LSNS score; burden subscale, 2.57 (95% CI, 1.57-3.56); effects subscale, 2.21 (95% CI, 1.52-2.9); symptoms subscale, 1.64 (95% CI, 0.88-2.41); mental health composite subscale, 1.91 (95% CI, 1.40-2.43); and physical health composite score, 0.64 (95% CI, 0.03-1.24)). Higher social support was associated with better cognitive function (ß coefficient per 1-SD increase in LSNS score; Modified Mini-Mental State Examination, 0.81 (95% CI, 0.44 to 1.19); Trail Making Test A & B, -2.53 (95% CI, -4.29 to -0.76) and -6.53 (95% CI, -10.07 to -2.99), respectively; Buschke Selective Reminder Test 1, 2, and 3, 0.19 (95% CI, 0.07 to 0.30); 1.59 (95% CI, 0.96 to 2.22); and 0.40 (95% CI, 0.23 to 0.56), respectively. Higher social support was associated with higher likelihood of being nonfrail (OR, 1.77; 95% CI per 1-SD higher LSNS score, 1.24-2.53). LIMITATIONS: Conclusions about causality cannot be drawn from an observational cross-sectional study. CONCLUSIONS: In older patients with CKD, higher social support was associated with higher health-related quality of life and cognitive function and less frailty.

Health-Related Quality of Life, Depressive Symptoms, and Kidney Transplant Access in Advanced CKD: Findings From the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study.

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Among individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD), poor self-reported health is associated with adverse outcomes including hospitalization and death. We sought to examine the association between health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) and depressive symptoms in advanced CKD and subsequent access to the kidney transplant waiting list. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING & POPULATION: 1,676 Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) study participants with estimated glomerular filtration rates ≤ 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 at study entry or during follow-up. EXPOSURES: HRQoL ascertained by 5 scales of the Kidney Disease Quality of Life-36 Survey (Physical Component Summary [PCS], Mental Component Summary, Symptoms, Burdens, and Effects), with higher scores indicating better HRQoL, and depressive symptoms ascertained using the Beck Depression Inventory. OUTCOMES: Time to kidney transplant wait-listing and time to pre-emptive wait-listing. ANALYTIC APPROACH: Time-to-event analysis using Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 5.1 years, 652 (39%) participants were wait-listed, of whom 304 were preemptively wait-listed. Adjusted for demographics, comorbid conditions, estimated glomerular filtration rate slope, and cognitive function, participants with the highest scores on the Burden and Effects scales, respectively, had lower rates of wait-listing than those with the lowest scores on the Burden (wait-listing adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.70; 95% CI, 0.57-0.85; P < 0.001) and Effects scales (wait-listing aHR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.59-0.92; P = 0.007). Participants with fewer depressive symptoms (ie, Beck Depression Inventory score < 14) had lower wait-listing rates than those with more depressive symptoms (aHR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.66-0.99; P = 0.04). Participants with lower Burden and Effects scale scores and those with higher Symptoms and PCS scores had higher pre-emptive wait-listing rates (aHR in highest tertile of PCS relative to lowest tertile, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.12-2.23; P = 0.01). LIMITATIONS: Unmeasured confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Self-reported health in late-stage CKD may influence the timing of kidney transplantation.

Patient Experience with Primary Care Physician and Risk for Hospitalization in Hispanics with CKD.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In the general population, the quality of the patient experience with their primary care physician may influence health outcomes but this has not been evaluated in CKD. This is relevant for the growing Hispanic CKD population, which potentially faces challenges to the quality of the patient experience related to language or cultural factors. We evaluated the association between the patient experience with their primary care physician and outcomes in Hispanics with CKD. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: This prospective observational study included 252 English- and Spanish-speaking Hispanics with entry eGFR of 20-70 ml/min per 1.73 m2, enrolled in the Hispanic Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort study between 2005 and 2008. Patient experience with their primary care physician was assessed by the Ambulatory Care Experiences Survey subscales: communication quality, whole-person orientation, health promotion, interpersonal treatment, and trust. Poisson and proportional hazards models were used to assess the association between the patient experience and outcomes, which included hospitalization, ESKD, and all-cause death. RESULTS: Participants had a mean age of 56 years, 38% were women, 80% were primary Spanish speakers, and had a mean eGFR of 38 ml/min per 1.73 m2. Over 4.8 years (median) follow-up, there were 619 hospitalizations, 103 ESKD events, and 56 deaths. As compared with higher subscale scores, lower scores on four of the five subscales were associated with a higher adjusted rate ratio (RR) for all-cause hospitalization (communication quality: RR, 1.54; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.25 to 1.90; health promotion: RR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.05 to 1.62; interpersonal treatment: RR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.22 to 1.85; and trust: RR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.27 to 1.93). There was no significant association of subscales with incident ESKD or all-cause death. CONCLUSIONS: Lower perceived quality of the patient experience with their primary care physician was associated with a higher risk of hospitalization.

Willingness to Participate in a National Precision Medicine Cohort: Attitudes of Chronic Kidney Disease Patients at a Cleveland Public Hospital.

Multiple ongoing, government-funded national efforts longitudinally collect health data and biospecimens for precision medicine research with ascertainment strategies increasingly emphasizing underrepresented groups in biomedical research. We surveyed chronic kidney disease patients from an academic, public integrated tertiary care system in Cleveland, Ohio, to examine local attitudes toward participation in large-scale government-funded studies. Responses (n = 103) indicate the majority (71%) would participate in a hypothetical national precision medicine cohort and were willing to send biospecimens to a national repository and share de-identified data, but <50% of respondents were willing to install a phone app to track personal data. The majority of participants (62%) indicated that return of research results was very important, and the majority (54%) also wanted all of their research-collected health and genetic data returned. Response patterns did not differ by race/ethnicity. Overall, we found high willingness to participate among this Cleveland patient population already participating in a local genetic study. These data suggest that despite common perceptions, subjects from communities traditionally underrepresented in genetic research will participate and agree to store samples and health data in repositories. Furthermore, most participants want return of research results, which will require a plan to provide these data in a secure, accessible, and understandable manner.

Association of QT-Prolonging Medication Use in CKD with Electrocardiographic Manifestations.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Several drugs used in CKD can prolong electrocardiographic conduction. We examined the use of electrocardiogram QT-prolonging medications in predialysis CKD and their association with QT duration. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: In total, 3252 Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort participants with at least one study electrocardiogram between 2003 and 2011 were included. QT-prolonging medications used in 100 or more visits (n=16,451 visits) along with diuretics and proton pump inhibitors, given their potential for electrolyte disturbances, were examined for QT interval prolongation. RESULTS: Mean QT interval corrected for heart rate was at 414±21 (±SD) milliseconds and prolonged (≥450 milliseconds) in 4.6% of electrocardiograms. QT interval corrected for heart rate was inversely related to serum potassium and calcium. Medications classified as QT prolonging were taken at 76% of visits, with two or more of these taken at 33% of visits. Of 30 medications examined, eight were associated with statistically significant QT interval corrected for heart rate prolongation after adjustment for comorbidities, potassium, and calcium, including amiodarone (+10±2 milliseconds), metolazone (+7±2 milliseconds), fluoxetine (+4±1 milliseconds), citalopram (+4±1 milliseconds), hydroxyzine (+4±1 milliseconds), escitalopram (+3±2 milliseconds), venlafaxine (+3±1 milliseconds), and furosemide (+3±0 milliseconds). Potassium-depleting diuretics were associated with minimal decrements in potassium (between 0.1 and 0.3 mEq/L) and smaller changes in calcium. Diuretics associated with a change in QT interval corrected for heart rate before adjustment for potassium and calcium were metolazone (+8±3 milliseconds), furosemide (+4±1 milliseconds), and spironolactone (-3±3 milliseconds). Most of the QT prolongation associated with metolazone and furosemide, but not spironolactone, remained after adjustment for potassium and calcium. Proton pump inhibitors were not associated with QT prolongation. CONCLUSIONS: Use of medications associated with QT prolongation is common in CKD; the safety implications of these findings should be considered in these high-risk patients. PODCAST: This article contains a podcast at https://www.asn-online.org/media/podcast/CJASN/2017_08_09_CJASNPodcast_17_09_b.mp3.

Patterns of NSAIDs Use and Their Association with Other Analgesic Use in CKD.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Avoiding nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is important for safe CKD care. This study examined nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use patterns and their association with other analgesic use in CKD. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: The Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study is an observational cohort study that enrolled 3939 adults ages 21-74 years old with CKD between 2003 and 2008 using age-based eGFR inclusion criteria. Annual visits between June of 2003 and December of 2011 were organized into 15,917 visit-pairs (with an antecedent and subsequent visit) for 3872 participants with medication information. Demographics, kidney function, and clinical factors were ascertained along with report of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug or other analgesic use in the prior 30 days. RESULTS: In our study, 24% of participants reported nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use at baseline or at least one follow-up study visit. Having a 10 ml/min per 1.73 m2 higher eGFR level at an antecedent visit was associated with higher odds of starting nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs at a subsequent visit (odds ratio, 1.44; 95% confidence interval, 1.34 to 1.56). Seeing a nephrologist at the antecedent visit was associated with lower odds of starting or staying on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs at a subsequent visit (odds ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval, 0.56 to 0.87 and odds ratio, 0.61; 95% confidence interval, 0.46 to 0.81, respectively). Starting and stopping nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were both associated with higher odds of increasing the number of other analgesics (odds ratio, 1.52; 95% confidence interval, 1.25 to 1.85 and odds ratio, 1.78; 95% confidence interval, 1.39 to 2.28, respectively) and higher odds of increasing the number of opioid analgesics specifically (odds ratio, 1.92; 95% confidence interval, 1.48 to 2.48 and odds ratio, 1.46; 95% confidence interval, 1.04 to 2.03, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use is common among patients with CKD but less so among those with worse kidney function or those who see a nephrologist. Initiation or discontinuation of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is often associated with supplementation with or replacement by, respectively, other analgesics, including opioids, which introduces possible drug-related problems when taking these alternative analgesics.