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

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. 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. 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. 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. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD for short) is a rare hereditary condition that mainly affects boys and young men. Individuals with DMD do not make a protein called dystrophin, which results in damage to muscle fibers that is irreversible and becomes worse over time. As DMD worsens, people with the condition lose the ability to walk, develop heart problems, need assistance breathing, and die prematurely. Damaged muscle tissue may release components of muscle cells that could interfere with normal kidney function, causing kidney problems. Early treatment, before muscle damage occurs, may improve patients’ overall health. To understand how these treatments impact kidney function in patients with DMD, it is important to understand the occurrence of kidney dysfunction in the DMD population. This study used insurance claims data to determine how often a potential contributor to kidney disease (rhabdomyolysis) or one contributor to acute renal dysfunction (acute kidney injury) occurred in patients with DMD and in patients without muscular dystrophy. Using insurance claims data tells researchers what health problems people have and what treatment they are given. The results of this study showed that the frequency of rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury was rare in patients with or without DMD but appeared higher in patients with DMD than in patients without muscular dystrophy. These results suggest that more research must be done to further understand how kidney function is affected in patients with DMD. Acute renal-related events were rarely observed in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD); however, these were likely under-captured in the commercial claims environmentRhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury events appeared more frequently in patients with DMD than in those without MD; however, direct comparisons were not made as part of the studyThis study helps provide a better understanding of acute renal events in patients with DMD, who may experience a higher crude incidence of these events than patients without MDFuture studies of renal events in patients with DMD should consider additional data integration with laboratory results Acute renal-related events were rarely observed in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD); however, these were likely under-captured in the commercial claims environment Rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury events appeared more frequently in patients with DMD than in those without MD; however, direct comparisons were not made as part of the study This study helps provide a better understanding of acute renal events in patients with DMD, who may experience a higher crude incidence of these events than patients without MD Future studies of renal events in patients with DMD should consider additional data integration with laboratory results