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Introduction: Renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors have been increasingly prescribed due to their beneficial effects on end-organ protection. Iatrogenic hyperkalemia is a well-known life-threatening complication of RAS inhibitor use in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. We hypothesized that CKD patients treated with RAS inhibitors frequently develop hyperkalemia after hospital discharge even if they were normokalemic during their hospitalization because their lifestyles change substantially after discharge. The present study aimed to examine the incidence of newly diagnosed hyperkalemia, the timing of hyperkalemia, and its risk factors in CKD patients treated with RAS inhibitors at the time of hospital discharge. Methods: We retrospectively enrolled patients aged 20 years or older with CKD G3-5 (estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) and who were treated with RAS inhibitors and discharged from St. Luke’s International Hospital between July 2011 and December 2015. Patients who were under maintenance dialysis or had hyperkalemic events before discharge were excluded. Data regarding the patients’ age, sex, CKD stage, diabetes mellitus status, malignancy status, combined use of RAS inhibitors, concurrent medication, and hyperkalemic events after discharge were extracted from the hospital database. Our primary outcome was hyperkalemia, defined as serum potassium ≥ 5.5 mEq/L. Multiple logistic regression and Kaplan-Meier analyses were performed to identify the risk factors for and the timing of hyperkalemia, respectively. Results: Among the 986 patients, 121 (12.3%) developed hyperkalemia after discharge. In the regression analysis, relative to CKD G3a, G3b [odds ratio (OR): 1.88, 95% confidence interval 1.20–2.97] and G4-5 (OR: 3.40, 1.99–5.81) were significantly associated with hyperkalemia. The use of RAS inhibitor combinations (OR: 1.92, 1.19–3.10), malignancy status (OR: 2.10, 1.14–3.86), and baseline serum potassium (OR: 1.91, 1.23–2.97) were also significantly associated with hyperkalemia. The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that hyperkalemia was most frequent during the early period after discharge, particularly within one month. Conclusion: Hyperkalemia was frequent during the early period after discharge among previously normokalemic CKD patients who were treated with RAS inhibitors. Appropriate follow-up after discharge should be required for these patients, particularly those with advanced CKD or malignancy status, such as hematological malignancy or late-stage malignancy, and those who are treated with multiple RAS inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Taiwan has the highest renal disease incidence and prevalence in the world. We evaluated the association of statin and renin–angiotensin system inhibitor (RASI) use with dialysis risk in hypertensive patients. Methods: Of 248,797 patients who received a hypertension diagnosis in Taiwan during 2001–2012, our cohort contained 110,829 hypertensive patients: 44,764 who used RASIs alone; 7,606 who used statins alone; 27,836 who used both RASIs and statins; and 33,716 who used neither RASIs or statins. We adjusted for the following factors to reduce selection bias by using propensity scores (PSs): age; sex; comorbidities; urbanization level; monthly income; and use of nonstatin lipid-lowering drugs, metformin, aspirin, antihypertensives, diuretics, and beta and calcium channel blockers. The statin and RASI use index dates were considered the hypertension confirmation dates. To examine the dose–response relationship, we categorized only statin or RASI use into four groups in each cohort: <28 (nonusers), 28–90, 91–365, and >365 cumulative defined daily doses (cDDDs). Results: In the main model, PS-adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs; 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) for dialysis risk were 0.57 (0.50–0.65), 0.72 (0.53–0.98), and 0.47 (0.41–0.54) in the only RASI, only statin, and RASI + statin users, respectively. RASIs dose-dependently reduced dialysis risk in most subgroups and in the main model. RASI use significantly reduced dialysis risk in most subgroups, regardless of comorbidities or other drug use (P < 0.001). Statins at >365 cDDDs protected hypertensive patients against dialysis risk in the main model (aHR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.54–0.71), regardless of whether a high cDDD of RASIs, metformin, or aspirin was used. Conclusion: Statins and RASIs independently have a significant dose-dependent protective effect against dialysis risk in hypertensive patients. The combination of statins and RASIs can additively protect hypertensive patients against dialysis risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]