Are skin conditions associated with kidney disease?

Abstract

British Journal of DermatologyVolume 185, Issue 4 p. e163-e163 Plain Language Summary Are skin conditions associated with kidney disease? First published: 04 October 2021 https://doi.org/10.1111/bjd.20673AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Abstract Linked Article: Schonmann et al. Br J Dermatol 2021; 185:772–780. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects up to 13% of the population and may progress to kidney failure and death. Some risk factors for CKD are well known such as high blood pressure and diabetes. There is some evidence that inflammatory skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis may also increase the risk of CKD. This group of researchers from Israel and the UK used a large database to see whether people with CKD stages 3 (moderate loss of kidney function) to 5 (renal failure) are more likely to have skin disease than people without CKD. They compared over 56,000 adults with CKD and over 268,000 people without kidney disease, taking into account known risk factors for CKD (age, sex, medical deprivation score, diabetes, smoking, harmful alcohol use and obesity). They found that people with CKD were slightly more likely to have a history of atopic eczema, psoriasis or hidradenitis suppurativa than those without, and less likely to have rosacea. Severity of eczema and psoriasis was associated with more severe CKD. These findings support the assumption that inflammatory skin diseases are indeed linked with an increased risk for CKD. While such factors have been accounted for in the analysis, the results also might simply reflect the fact that people with skin disease may have been treated with drugs that damage the kidney. The authors also looked at over 335,000 patients with diabetes, who have regular kidney function tests. Among these patients with diabetes, who already have a high risk of CKD, there was no evidence of CKD incidence being associated with atopic eczema or psoriasis. The inconclusive results of the study require further investigation, for example, to explore whether targeted screening for CKD in people with inflammatory skin diseases is justified. Volume185, Issue4October 2021Pages e163-e163 RelatedInformation