Incidence of kidney-related events in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a claims-based assessment

Background The goal of this analysis was to establish the occurrence of adverse kidney-related events in males with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) under routine clinical care and in a general male population. This study assessed the crude incidence of rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury (AKI) in DMD and non–muscular dystrophy (MD) populations.Research design and methods US commercial insurance claims were sourced from the IQVIA PharMetrics® Plus Closed Health Plan Claims database. Patients were males aged ≤30 years at index (January 2021 or 2022) and continuously enrolled for a 6-month baseline period. Annual crude cumulative incidence (rhabdomyolysis) and crude incidence rates (events per 100,000 person-years; AKI) were calculated overall and stratified by age and chronic corticosteroid use.Results In 2021 and 2022, the annual crude cumulative incidence or crude incidence rates for rhabdomyolysis and AKI appeared higher in DMD than non-MD cohorts.Conclusions Rhabdomyolysis and AKI were rare in patients with DMD. However, higher crude incidence of these events in DMD relative to non-MD patients suggests a need for further understanding of susceptibility to acute renal dysfunction in patients with DMD.