Exploring the Link between Chronic Kidney Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease: A Longitudinal Follow-Up Study Using the Korean National Health Screening Cohort
Mi Jung Kwon,
Young Rim Song,
Joo-Hee Kim,
Ji Hee Kim,
Ho Suk Kang,
Hyun Lim,
Min-Jeong Kim,
Nan Young Kim,
Sangkyoon Hong,
Younghee Choi,
Kyueng-Whan Min,
Hyo Geun Choi,
Eun Soo Kim
Affiliations
Mi Jung Kwon
Department of Pathology, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang 14068, Republic of Korea
Young Rim Song
Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang 14068, Republic of Korea
Joo-Hee Kim
Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang 14068, Republic of Korea
Ji Hee Kim
Department of Neurosurgery, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang 14068, Republic of Korea
Ho Suk Kang
Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang 14068, Republic of Korea
Hyun Lim
Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang 14068, Republic of Korea
Min-Jeong Kim
Department of Radiology, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang 14068, Republic of Korea
Nan Young Kim
Hallym Institute of Translational Genomics and Bioinformatics, Hallym University Medical Center, Anyang 14068, Republic of Korea
Sangkyoon Hong
Hallym Institute of Translational Genomics and Bioinformatics, Hallym University Medical Center, Anyang 14068, Republic of Korea
Younghee Choi
Department of Pathology, Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Hwaseong 18450, Republic of Korea
Kyueng-Whan Min
Department of Pathology, Uijeongbu Eulji Medical Center, Eulji University School of Medicine, Uijeongbu 11759, Republic of Korea
Hyo Geun Choi
Suseo Seoul E.N.T. Clinic and MD Analytics, Seoul 06349, Republic of Korea
Eun Soo Kim
Department of Radiology, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang 14068, Republic of Korea
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are common chronic diseases in the elderly population. Although a relationship between CKD and the occurrence of AD has been proposed, previous research results have been disputed, and further investigation is necessary to confirm this relationship. In this longitudinal follow-up study, we examined data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort, consisting of 15,756 individuals with CKD and 63,024 matched controls aged ≥40 years who received health check-ups between 2002 and 2019. Overlap-weighted Cox proportional hazard regression models were exploited to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) for the association between CKD and AD. During the monitoring period, individuals with CKD had a greater incidence of AD than those without CKD (15.80 versus 12.40 per 1000 person years). After accounting for various factors, CKD was significantly associated with a 1.14-fold increased likelihood of developing AD, with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 1.08 to 1.20. In subgroup analysis, this relationship persisted irrespective of age (≥70 or <70), sex, income, smoking status, alcohol consumption, place of residence, or fasting blood glucose level. Additionally, the association between CKD and AD was still evident among patients who were overweight or obese, those with normal blood pressure or cholesterol levels, and those without any other health conditions or with a CCI score of ≥2. These results suggest that CKD could increase the probability of developing AD in the Korean adult population irrespective of demographic or lifestyle conditions. This may make it challenging to predict AD in patients with CKD, emphasizing the importance of frequent AD screening and management.
