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Kidney Week

Abstract: FR-PO234

Cannabis Use and Its Association with eGFR Decline in Advanced CKD Patients Transitioning to ESRD

Session Information

Category: CKD (Non-Dialysis)

  • 1901 CKD (Non-Dialysis): Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Prevention

Authors

  • Potukuchi, Praveen Kumar, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, United States
  • Sumida, Keiichi, Nephrology Center, Toranomon Hospital Kajigaya, Kawasaki, KANAGAWA, Japan
  • Molnar, Miklos Zsolt, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, United States
  • Gaipov, Abduzhappar, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, United States
  • Park, Frank, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, United States
  • Kaplan, Cameron M., University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, United States
  • Moradi, Hamid, University of California Irvine, School of Medicine, Orange, California, United States
  • Thomas, Fridtjof, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, United States
  • Gatwood, Justin, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, United States
  • Streja, Elani, Harold Simmons Center for Kidney Disease Research and Epidemiology, Orange, California, United States
  • Kalantar-Zadeh, Kamyar, University of California Irvine, School of Medicine, Orange, California, United States
  • Kovesdy, Csaba P., University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Background

The renal safety of cannabis use in patients with advanced CKD is unknown.

Methods

We examined 6,788 US veterans who transitioned to dialysis during 2007-2014 and had undergone urine toxicology tests within a year before the dialysis initiation. We compared patients whose toxicology tests were positive for cannabis alone (primary exposure group, PEG, N=195) with those whose tests were negative (negative control group, NCG, N=3,266). We estimated slopes of eGFR and the effect of inter-individual cannabis use on intraindividual slopes in multilevel mixed-effects models with random intercepts and slopes adjusted for sociodemographics, comorbidities, medications, and vital signs.

Results

The mean (SD) age of the cohort was 60.5 (9.6) years; 97% were male, 46 % were African American and 72% were diabetic. The median (IQR) eGFR slope was -10.9 (-17.2, -6.1) ml/min/1.73m2/year. Cannabis use was associated with significantly steeper eGFR slopes in the unadjusted model (Figure 1, estimated slope in the PEG compared to NCG group (95% CI) -3.55 (-6.58, -0.51) ml/min/1.73m2/year, P=0.02) However, after multivariable adjustments cannabis use was not associated with steeper slopes.

Conclusion

Cannabis use is not associated with more rapid loss of kidney function in patients with advanced CKD.

Funding

  • NIDDK Support