Hyperglycemia on Admission Predicts Acute Kidney Failure and Renal Functional Recovery Among Inpatients

Background: Hyperglycemia is associated with adverse outcomes in hospitalized patients. We aimed to assess the impact of glucose levels upon admission on the subsequent deterioration or improvement of kidney function in inpatients with a focus on diabetes or reduced baseline kidney function as possible modifiers of this effect.

Methods: Running a retrospective cohort analysis, we compared patients with normal vs. high glucose levels upon admission. We applied multivariable logistic regression models to study the association between baseline glucose levels with subsequent renal and clinical outcomes. Interaction terms were used to study a possible modifier effect of diabetes.

Results: Among 95,556 inpatients (52% males, mean age 61 years), 15,675 (16.5%) had plasma glucose higher than 180 mg/dL, and 72% of them were diabetics. Patients with higher glucose at presentation were older, with a higher proportion of co-morbid conditions. Rates of acute kidney injury (AKI), acute kidney functional recovery (AKR), and mortality were proportional to reduced renal function. AKI, AKR, and mortality were almost doubled in patients with high baseline glucose upon admission. Multivariable analysis with interaction terms demonstrated an increasing adjusted probability of all events as glucose increased, yet this association was observed principally in non-diabetic patients.

Conclusions: Hyperglycemia is associated with AKI, AKR, and mortality in non-diabetic inpatients in proportion to the severity of their acute illness. This association diminishes in diabetic patients, suggesting a possible impact of treatable and easily reversible renal derangement in this population.