TOPLINE

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affected approximately 1 in 10 patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), and the presence of metabolic comorbidities was linked to an increased risk for CKD, which in turn was associated with an increased risk for mortality.

METHODOLOGY

• Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess the prevalence of CKD and identify associated risk factors in 1058 patients with PBC (mean age, 62.4 years; 91.5% women) from 13 Spanish hospitals.
• Renal function was assessed at baseline and during follow-up using the CKD Epidemiology Collaboration equation, and an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 60 mL/min/1.73 m² was considered indicative of CKD.
• Data on demographics, laboratory assessments, and metabolic conditions were collected.
• Researchers further assessed the effect of baseline CKD on the risk for mortality.

TAKEAWAY

• Overall, 10.1% of patients with PBC had CKD.
• Factors such as arterial hypertension (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.77; P = .0001), type 2 diabetes (aOR, 2.17; P = .020), alanine aminotransferase levels (aOR, 0.92; P = .001), and albumin levels (aOR, 0.24; P = .0001) were independently linked to baseline CKD.
• Baseline CKD was associated with an increased risk for mortality in patients with PBC (adjusted hazard ratio, 3.76; P = .0001).
• Baseline eGFR values (aOR, 0.93; P = .0001), cirrhosis (aOR, 2.31; P = .028), arterial hypertension (aOR, 2.36; P = .021), and albumin levels (aOR, 0.31; P = .006) were independently linked to CKD during follow-up.

IN PRACTICE

"[The study] findings underscore the importance of regular renal function monitoring in PBC patients and suggest that early management of metabolic conditions, alongside close surveillance of liver disease progression, may help mitigate the risk of kidney injury in this population," the authors wrote.

SOURCE

This study was led by Jose Manuel Sousa, Liver Unit, Virgen del Rocío University Hospital, Seville, Spain. It was published online on June 22, 2026, in the Journal of Gastroenterology.

LIMITATIONS

CKD was assessed at the end of the study as a binary outcome; therefore, the annual incidence rate could not be calculated. Renal dysfunction was not thoroughly examined due to a lack of data on proteinuria, urinary sediment, and nephrology assessment. A small number of patients received second‑line treatments and developed CKD, making it difficult to assess whether these treatments contributed to kidney problems.

DISCLOSURES

One author received funding from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Competition, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, with co-funding from the European Union. The authors declared having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.