Characteristics of fracture in patients who firstly starts kidney replacement therapy in Korea: a retrospective population-based study

The incidence of fractures in patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is high which is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Since fractures are preventable diseases to some extent, epidemiologic studies are needed a lot. The aim of this study is to explore the epidemiology of fractures by modality of kidney replacement therapy (KRT). We performed a retrospective analysis of 52,777 patients dependent on KRT from 2008 to 2017 using the National Health Insurance System of Republic Korea. Fractures were occurred in 8995 (17.04%) of 52,777 patients with ESKD. Hemodialysis and kidney transplant patients had the highest (57.4 per 1000 person-year) and the lowest (25.2 per 1000 person-year) incidence rate, respectively. The two most common fracture sites were the lower limb and upper limb, regardless of KRT modality. The first fractures were about 2.55 ± 2.07 years after KRT initiation, the earliest in Hemodialysis patients. Diabetes mellitus, cerebrovascular disease, chronic lung and liver disease were risk factors of fractures. The use of steroids, anti-osteoporosis medications, and some classes of psychotropics and opioids was associated with an elevated risk. The results of this study inform the understanding of fractures in KRT patients.