Table 3. Risks of CKD among rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with medications.
| Medication* | RA with CKD | RA without CKD | Crude OR (95% CI) | Adjusted OR**(95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glucocorticoids | 888 | 5167 | 1.85 (1.66–2.07) ‡ | 1.49 (1.32–1.68) ‡ |
| Non-users | 554 | 5967 | 1 | 1.00 (ND) |
| Infrequent users a | 650 | 4137 | 1.64 (1.47–1.84) ‡ | 1.40 (1.25–1.57) ‡ |
| Frequent users b | 238 | 1033 | 2.33 (2.01–2.72) ‡ | 1.75 (1.47–2.07) ‡ |
| DMARDs | 264 | 1924 | 1.07 (0.93–1.24) | 1.22 (1.02–1.45) † |
| Methotrexate | 73 | 542 | 1.04 (0.81–1.34) † | 1.07 (0.82–1.41) |
| Azathioprine | 20 | 85 | 2.81 (1.48–5.30) † | 1.74 (0.99–3.05) |
| Mycophenolate mofetil | 4 | 3 | 1.83 (1.12–2.99) † | 10.58 (2.13–52.54) † |
| Hydroxyurea | 2 | 1 | 10.32 (2.31–46.17) † | 13.16 (0.96–180.65) |
| Cyclophosphamide | 13 | 36 | 15.47 (1.40–170.68) | 2.57 (1.27–5.20) † |
| Sulfasalazine | 164 | 1289 | 0.98 (0.83–1.17) | 1.23 (0.99–1.51) |
| Leflunomide | 10 | 43 | 1.80 (0.90–3.59) | 1.87 (0.88–399.00) |
| Penicillamine | 5 | 29 | 1.33 (0.52–3.45) | 0.97 (0.35–2.65) |
| Hydroxychloroquine | 155 | 1026 | 1.19 (0.99–1.42) | 1.15 (0.93–1.43) |
| Gold | 0 | 0 | N/A | N/A |
| Cyclosporine | 17 | 82 | 1.61 (0.95–2.72) | 1.54 (0.84–2.82) |
| Non-users | 1425 | 11055 | 1.00 | 1.00 (ND) |
| Infrequent users a | 7 | 19 | 2.86 (1.20–6.81) † | 3.01(1.18–7.71) † |
| Frequent users b | 10 | 63 | 1.23 (0.63–2.41) | 1.09 (0.51–2.35) |
| NSAIDs | 1418 | 10589 | 3.06 (2.02–4.62) ‡ | 1.68 (1.10–2.56) † |
| Non-users | 24 | 548 | 1.00 | 1.00 (ND) |
| Infrequent users a | 444 | 5678 | 1.79 (1.17–2.72) † | 1.45 (0.95–2.22) |
| Frequent users b | 974 | 4911 | 4.53 (2.99–6.85) ‡ | 2.01 (1.31–3.09) ‡ |
| Biologics | 5 | 40 | 0.97 (0.38–2.45) | 0.86 (0.32–2.34) |
† p <0.05 for comparison between patients with rheumatoid arthritis and without rheumatoid arthritis.
‡ p <0.001 for comparison between patients with rheumatoid arthritis and without rheumatoid arthritis.
* Rheumatoid arthritis patients with one or more drug prescription during 5-year follow-up
** Adjusted for gender, age group, comorbidities and every other listed drug for which crude hazard ratio was significant (p <0.05).
CI, confidence interval; CKD, chronic kidney disease; N/A, not applicable; NSAID, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug; OR, odds ratio; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; ND, not done.
a Prescribed <90 days.
b Prescribed ≥90 days.