Determinants of acute kidney injury in children with new onset type 1 diabetes: A cohort study of children aged <15 years: Auckland, New Zealand (2006-2016).

Objective: Acute kidney injury (AKI) may contribute to the risk of diabetic kidney disease, however, there have been limited studies of the incidence of AKI in well-defined populations of children with type 1 diabetes. The aim was to quantify AKI in children presenting with new onset type 1 diabetes from the regional paediatric diabetes service, Auckland, New Zealand.

Research Design And Methods: A retrospective analysis of a prospectively identified cohort study of children and adolescents presenting from 2006 to 2016 with type 1 diabetes aged <15 years. AKI was defined using Kidney Disease/Improving Global Outcomes serum creatinine criteria.

Results: There were 586 subjects: 52% male, with mean (SD) age 8.9 (3.8) years, with 151(25.8%) in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). AKI was present in 47%, 278/586, AKI was increased in those with DKA (125/151 (83%) DKA vs. 153/435 (35%) no-DKA). Univariable analysis showed that increased HbA1c, higher glucose levels, lower BMI SDS, lower bicarbonate and pH levels were all associated with AKI (p < .001). In multivariable analysis, AKI was associated with DKA and higher glucose levels independently. The majority of cases were stage 1 (203/278 [73%]), or stage 2 AKI 62/278 (22%). 13/278 (5%) had severe, Stage 3 AKI, and all presented in DKA (13/151 (8%) vs. 0/435 (0%) without DKA, p < .001).

Conclusion: In this regional paediatric, cohort AKI is a common complication of children presenting with new onset type 1 diabetes. AKI is independently associated with higher glucose levels and DKA, and all cases of Stage 3 AKI were associated with DKA.