The burden of hyperkalemia in Germany – a real world evidence study assessing the treatment and costs of hyperkalemia

Abstract

Background: Hyperkalemia (HK) can affect health outcomes and quality of life, as it is referred to as a potentially life-threatening condition caused by an increased serum potassium concentration in the blood. Patients suffering from heart failure or chronic kidney diseases are at a higher risk of HK, which can further be amplified by the treatment received. To date, data on HK prevalence is lacking for Germany and the aims of this study were to assess HK and compare health-relevant outcomes and healthcare costs between HK patients and non-HK patients. Methods: The InGef research database containing healthcare claims of over 4 million individuals in Germany was utilized for this retrospective, matched cohort analysis. Patients with non-acute outpatient treated and a subgroup of patients with chronic HK, were identified in 2015 with an individual 1 year pre-and post-index period, taking the first observable HK diagnosis/treatment in 2015 into account as the index event. To identify non-acute outpatient treated HK patients, at least two ICD-10-GM diagnosis codes E87.5 "Hyperkalemia" and/or prescriptions of polystyrene sulfonate were required. Chronic HK patients had additional diagnoses and/or prescriptions in all quarters following the first observable HK diagnosis. Patients without HK were matched 1:1 to the respective HK cohorts. Results: In the year 2015, 3333 patients with non-acute outpatient treated HK were identified of which 1693 were patients with chronic HK. After matching, 3191 and 1664 HK patients and controls were available for analysis. A significantly higher number of hospitalizations was observed for both HK cohorts in comparison to their matched controls. Dialysis initiation as well as the healthcare costs were higher for both HK cohorts when compared to their matched counterparts.

Health Resource Utilization and Associated Health Care Costs of Biologic Disease‐Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs in German Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis

“…External validation regarding the representativeness of this database in terms of morbidity, mortality, and drug usage with the general German population has been performed (20). The InGef research database has been extensively utilized for health services research (21)(22)(23)(24). and biologic claim in the same quarter of the index date; biologics-naive status at the index date; and presence of at least 365 days of continuous enrollment prior to and after the index date.…”

“…External validation regarding the representativeness of this database in terms of morbidity, mortality, and drug usage with the general German population has been performed (20). The InGef research database has been extensively utilized for health services research (21–24).…”

Management of hyperkalemia in children

“…Patiromer sorbitex calcium and sodium zirconium cyclosilicate are newer agents that are FDA-approved for use in adults with hyperkalemia. Though they are not yet approved for use in children, their safety and efficacy in adults look encouraging [17,18 ▪▪ ].…”

Hiperpotasemia Crónica: Impacto asistencial y económico en España

“…Sus resultados mostraron que la hiperpotasemia estaba asociada a una mayor probabilidad de hospitalización, y de acudir a urgencias y a consultas de atención primaria o de especialista (82) . Estos resultados se confirmaron en un estudio realizado en Alemania con más de 3.000 pacientes, que observó un mayor número de hospitalizaciones en los pacientes con hiperpotasemia en comparación con aquellos sin hiperpotasemia (p≤0,002) (83) .…”