Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with long-term mortality and morbidity outcomes. Severe leptospirosis usually results in AKI and multiple organ failure, but is associated with favorable short-term outcomes, if treatment is initiated early. However, information on long-term outcomes after leptospirosis-associated AKI is limited. The effects of leptospirosis on resulting chronic kidney disease (CKD), as well as mortality, were evaluated in this study. We studied 2145 patients with leptospirosis from the National Health Insurance Research Database over an 8-year follow-up period. Patient demographics and characteristics were analyzed for AKI and dialysis. The risk factors for renal outcomes were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. In total, 443 (20.6%) patients had AKI. Among them, 77 (3.6%) patients received replacement therapy (AKI-RRT group). Long-term mortality was higher in the AKI-RRT group than in the AKI group and non-AKI group, based on a multivariate logistic regression model. Similarly, the incidence rate of CKD was highest in the AKI-RRT group, followed by the AKI and non-AKI groups. Leptospirosis, complicated with AKI, may play a critical role in the long-term outcomes, resulting in CKD. The severity of AKI determines the incidence of CKD. Additional prospective investigations for the early detection of AKI in leptospirosis are warranted.
Keywords: acute kidney injury; chronic kidney disease; leptospirosis; long-term prognosis.