Background: The syndrome of rapid onset end-stage renal disease (SORO-ESRD) was first described in the journal Renal Failure in 2010. This is an acute precipitate unpredictable yet irreversible ESRD following acute kidney injury (AKI), as distinct from "classic" ESRD where chronic kidney disease (CKD)-ESRD progression was linear, time-dependent, and predictable. The overall impact of SORO-ESRD on ESRD outcomes in the adult US ESRD population remains speculative and called for larger studies.
Methods: A retrospective investigation of an incident adult ESRD population, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, 2001-2013.
Results: One hundred and forty-nine of 1461 (10%) incident patients with ESRD had SORO-ESRD - M:F = 76:73, age 62 (19-95) years, 139 (93%) native kidneys, and 10 (7%) renal transplant recipients (RTRs). The modal age group was 71-80 years. A total of 147 (99%) SORO-ESRD patients started first hemodialysis treatment via a dialysis catheter. Kidney biopsy in 10 RTRs and 34 native kidneys revealed acute tubular necrosis (ATN) as the commonest pathology. Cardiac arrest remained the leading cause of death among SORO-ESRD patients.
Conclusions: SORO-ESRD accounted for 149 (10%) of 1461 incident ESRD patients. There was no gender disparity. The older population was more susceptible. Ninety-nine percent (99%) of SORO-ESRD patients started their first hemodialysis treatment via a dialysis catheter, a major negative impact on AV fistula first programs. ATN was the leading pathologic diagnosis. We conclude that SORO-ESRD contributes significantly to incident ESRD here in the USA including renal allograft loss. Efforts to reduce AKI incidence or renoprevention demand more attention and priority.
Keywords: Acute kidney injury; chronic kidney disease; end-stage renal disease; hemodialysis; renal replacement therapy; syndrome of rapid onset end-stage renal disease.