Renal function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Rafsanjan city in 2021

Abstract

Renal involvement is one of the extra-articular manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The current study aims to investigate renal function and its associated factors in RA patients. This cross-sectional study included 443 RA patients who were referred to Rafsanjan's only rheumatology clinic in 2021. Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28) index was used to determine disease activity. Blood levels of creatinine, C-Reactive Protein test (CRP), Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), and urine analysis were also determined. Renal failure was classified based on Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR). SPSS.20 one-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis test, the Mann-Whitney U test, and Chi-square were used to analyze the data. Patiens' mean age was 53.99 ± 12.34, and 85.8% (380 people) of the participants were female. Ther were 147 (33.2%) patients without renal failure, 260 (58.7%) with mild renal failure, and 36 (8.1%) with moderate/severe failure. Men had a 3.059 higher risk of renal failure than women (P = 0.001). The probability of developing renal failure in patients increased by 1.047 times with each year of age (P < 0.001). As a chronic disease, RA can directly or through the use of disease medications and other risk factors, adversely affect other organs of the body, including the kidney. The current study's findings revealed a high prevalence of mild renal failure in these patients.