Men Aged >16 to <55 Years Have Increased AKI Risk During Hospitalization

FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Boys and men aged >16 to <55 years have an increased risk for acute kidney injury (AKI) during hospitalization, according to a study published online Oct. 22 in the American Journal of Kidney Disease.

Noting that female sex hormones have been suggested to play a protective role in kidney disease, Ladan Golestaneh, M.D., from the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study to examine the strength of the association between sex and AKI incidence in hormonally distinct age groups across the life span. Data were included for all patients hospitalized in the Montefiore Health System between Oct. 15, 2015, and Jan. 1, 2019, except those with kidney failure or obstetrics diagnoses.

Overall, 132,667 individuals had 235,629 hospitalizations (55 percent of hospitalizations for women). The researchers found that 30.5 and 10.3 percent of hospitalizations occurred among Black and Hispanic patients, respectively. Overall, AKI occurred in 22.9 percent of hospitalizations. A significant interaction was seen between age and sex in adjusted models. Across all age groups, boys and men had a higher risk for AKI, with the association more pronounced for those aged >16 to <55 years, which had an odds ratio for 1.7 for men. Across prespecified types of hospitalizations, the age-based pattern persisted. A sensitivity analysis revealed that women older than 55 years who received prescriptions for estrogen had lower odds of AKI than those without prescriptions.

"Our study shows that the protection afforded by female sex is highest among menstruating women, is absent in prepubertal females and declines with the onset of menopause," Golestaneh said in a statement.

Authors disclosed ties to Axon Therapies, Horizon Therapeutics, and AstraZeneca.

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