Antibiotic-associated acute kidney injury among older adults: A
case-crossover study
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to ascertain
antibiotic-associated acute kidney injury (AKI) in older adults aged 65
years or above in New Zealand using a case-crossover study design.
Methods: We used the International Statistical Classification of
Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, Australian
Modification code N17.9 to identify all individuals aged 65 years and
above with a diagnosis of incident AKI between January 01, 2005, and
December 31, 2020, from the New Zealand National Minimum Data Set. We
created a case-crossover cohort for antibiotic exposures, with a 3-day
observation period and two 30 days washout periods, summed up to a
66-day study period. We calculated the changed odds of AKI due to
exposures to an antibiotic as matched odds ratios and their 95%
confidence intervals, using conditional logistic regression.
Results: We identified a total of 2399 incident cases of AKI
between 2005 and 2020 among older adults. The adjusted odds of consuming
a sulphonamide antibiotic during the case period was 3.57 times (95%
CI: 2.86 to 4.46) higher than the reference period among the incident
AKI cases. Fluoroquinolone utilisation was also associated with incident
AKI (adjusted OR = 2.56; 95% CI: 1.90 to 3.46). The number needed to
harm for sulphonamides and fluroquinolones were 6.55 (95% CI: 5.15 to
8.65) and 21.38 (95% CI: 13.97 to 36.41), respectively.
Conclusion: The potential of sulphonamides and fluoroquinolones
to be associated with AKI raises the significant need for vigilant
prescribing of these antibiotics in frail older adults.