Chronic kidney disease and risk of bloodstream infections and sepsis: a 17-year follow-up of the population-based Trøndelag Health Study in Norway

Bloodstream infections (BSI) and sepsis are important causes of hospitalization, loss of health, and death globally. Targetable risk factors need to be identified to improve prevention and treatment. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the association of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and risk of and mortality from BSI and sepsis in the general population during a 22-year period.

We conducted a prospective cohort study among participants in the population-based Norwegian HUNT Study, where 68,438 participated. The median follow-up time was 17.4 years. The exposures were estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and albumin–creatinine ratio (ACR) in urine. The outcomes were hazard ratios (HR) of hospital admission or death due to BSI or sepsis. The associations were adjusted for age, sex, diabetes, obesity, systolic blood pressure, smoking status, and cardiovascular disease.

Participants with eGFR < 30 ml/min/1.73² had HR 3.35 for BSI (95% confidence intervals (CI) 2.12–5.3) and HR 2.94 for sepsis (95% CI 1.82–4.8) compared to normal eGFR (≥ 90 ml/min/1.73²). HRs of death from BSI and sepsis were 4.2 (95% CI 1.71–10.4) and 4.1 (95% CI 1.88–8.9), respectively. Participants with severely increased albuminuria (ACR > 30 mg/mmol) had HR 3.60 for BSI (95% CI 2.30–5.6) and 3.14 for sepsis (95% CI 1.94–5.1) compared to normal albumin excretion (ACR < 3 mg/mmol). HRs of death were 2.67 (95% CI 0.82–8.7) and 2.16 (95% CI 0.78–6.0), respectively.

In this large population-based cohort study, CKD was clearly associated with an increased risk of BSI and sepsis and related death.