Authors of a retrospective study of 612 adults with biopsy-confirmed IgA nephropathy (IgAN) found that kidney function and proteinuria at the time of biopsy were strong predictors of healthcare resource utilization over approximately 2 years. Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage G4 had the highest overall utilization at 2.94 encounters per patient per month (PPPM), compared with 1.56 to 2.04 PPPM in earlier stages, with the largest increase occurring between stages G3 and G4. Proteinuria provided additional prognostic information: patients with a urine protein-creatinine ratio above 2 g/g had significantly greater overall utilization and more frequent emergency department visits than those with lower levels.
Comorbidity burden also independently contributed to greater use of outpatient, emergency, inpatient, laboratory, radiology, and medication services. Together, the findings suggest that readily available measures at biopsy, including CKD stage, proteinuria, and overall comorbidity burden, may help clinicians identify patients likely to require more intensive management and support health care planning. However, the retrospective, single-system design, inclusion of only biopsy-confirmed cases, and potential selection bias limit how broadly the findings can be generalized.
Reference: Joszt L. CKD Stage, Proteinuria Tied to Higher HCRU in IgAN. AJMC. Published June 15, 2026. Accessed August 20, 2026. https://www.ajmc.com/view/ckd-stage-proteinuria-tied-to-higher-hcru-in-igan
Link: https://www.ajmc.com/view/ckd-stage-proteinuria-tied-to-higher-hcru-in-igan
