Women With HIV Have Increased Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease

Female sex is associated with an increased risk of chronic kidney disease development in people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), even after adjusting for sex-based differences in serum creatinine, genetic factors, and substance use. Researchers published the study findings online in EClinicalMedicine.

“As life expectancy for this population increases, managing chronic kidney disease risk among women with HIV is critical, particularly given the epidemiology of HIV infections, known disparities in access to kidney transplantation, and risk of subsequent mortality,” wrote corresponding author Jayme E. Locke, MD, MPH, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, and coauthors.

The longitudinal study included 33,998 adults with HIV at eight academic medical centers throughout the United States. Researchers investigated the association of female birth sex with incident chronic kidney disease development in the cohort.

Women were 61% more likely to develop chronic kidney disease than men after adjusting for demographic and clinical characteristics, according to the study. The increased risk persisted after further accounting for APOL1 renal risk variants, degree of African ancestry, and history of substance abuse.

Researchers believe the study is the first to examine the link between female sex and chronic kidney disease after accounting for sex-specific differences in serum creatinine levels and genetic risk factors for kidney disease.

“Further work examining the mechanisms by which women with HIV are at increased chronic kidney disease risk is warranted,” they advised.

Reference:
Shelton BA, Sawinski D, MacLennan PA, et al. Associations between female birth sex and risk of chronic kidney disease development among people with HIV in the USA: a longitudinal, multicentre, cohort study. EClinicalMedicine. Published online September 17, 2022. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101653