Acute renal failure in hospitalized patients with HIV: risk factors and impact on in-hospital mortality

Background: Kidney disease is an increasingly important complication of HIV. Objectives: To examine the incidence and predictors of acute renal failure before and after the introduction of HAART, and the impact of acute renal failure on in-hospital mortality in the post-HAART era. Methods: Adults hospitalized in acute care hospitals in New York State during 1995 (pre-HAART) or 2003 (post-HAART) were identified from the state Planning and Research Cooperative System database. HIV status was defined by primary or secondary diagnosis code. The impact of HIV and HAART on the incidence of acute renal failure and mortality, and the impact of acute renal failure on mortality, was assessed using chi(2) analysis and multivariate regression. Results: There were 52 580 HIV-infected patients discharged from hospital in 1995 and 25 114 in 2003. Compared with uninfected patients, HIV-infected patients had an increased incidence of acute renal failure in both the pre-HAART [adjusted odds ratio (OR), 4.62; 95% confidence interval (CI), 4.30-4.95] and post-HAART eras (adjusted OR, 2.82; 95% CI, 2.66-2.99). In the post-HAART cohort, acute renal failure was associated with traditional predictors such as age, diabetes mellitus, and chronic kidney disease, as well as acute or chronic liver failure or hepatitis coinfection (P < 0.001 for all comparisons). Acute renal failure was associated with mortality among HIV-infected patients in the post-HAART era (OR, 5.83; 95% CI, 5.11-6.65). Conclusions: Acute renal failure remains common among hospitalized patients with HIV and is associated with chronic kidney disease, liver disease, and increased mortality. (C) 2006 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.