Significance of past history of renal failure for the detection of high-risk individuals for cardiovascular and end-stage renal disease: Analysis of data from a nationwide health checkup

Background: Clinical information regarding risk factors may be helpful in the detection of various diseases. This cross-sectional study examined the characteristics of subjects with past history of renal failure, and assessed whether this information would be useful for the efficient detection of high-risk individuals for chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) at health checkup. Methods: This study utilized data from a nationwide health checkup, "The Specific Health Check and Guidance in Japan," and data for 250,130 adult subjects were analyzed. Subjects with self-reported history of renal failure and receiving dialysis therapy were defined as having a history of renal failure. Results: Among total participants, there were 1,400 (0.6%) with a history of renal failure. The prevalence of a history of renal failure was higher in subjects with CKD than in those without CKD (1.5 vs. 0.3%, P < 0.001) and increased with progression of the stage of CKD (0.9-43.5%). Subjects with a history of renal failure had a reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (44.6 ± 20.3 ml/min/1.73 m ²) and a higher prevalence of CKD (50.5%) and CVD (31.9%), compared with subjects with hypertension, diabetes or metabolic syndrome. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed an independent association between a history of CVD and renal failure (odds ratio 3.68, 95% confidence interval 3.26-4.15), after adjustment for confounding factors. Conclusions: A history of renal failure was strongly associated with advanced CKD and CVD. Information regarding history of renal failure could be utilized to efficiently detect high-risk individuals at health checkup.