Serum creatinine-to-cystatin C ratio at dialysis initiation predicts all-cause mortality: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The serum creatinine-to-cystatin C ratio (Cre/CysC) has been proposed as a surrogate marker of sarcopenia and a predictor of mortality in patients with predialysis chronic kidney disease. However, its prognostic value in patients undergoing dialysis remains controversial. This study examined the association between Cre/CysC at dialysis initiation and subsequent mortality.

METHODS

We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study, enrolling patients who initiated dialysis between January 2013 and December 2019. Patients were categorized into cohort-specific tertiles based on Cre/CysC (cut-off values, 1.66 and 2.03). The primary outcome was five-year all-cause mortality, and patients were followed for up to 5 years. Multivariate Cox regression and the restricted cubic-spline analysis were performed after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, malignancy, diabetes, history of cardiovascular disease, and activities of daily living (events-per-variable: 7).

RESULTS

Among the 439 patients who initiated dialysis, 245 were included after excluding those who discontinued dialysis or were lost to follow-up within 90 days, those without cystatin C measurements, and those with incomplete data. Median age was 73 (interquartile range, 65-80), and 74.7% were male. During a median follow-up of 1826 days (interquartile range, 682-1826), 63 patients died. Both low and high tertiles of Cre/CysC were significantly associated with higher mortality than the middle tertile (hazard ratio 3.04 [1.51-6.11] and 2.90 [1.34-6.29]). A U-shaped association between Cre/CysC and mortality was observed in the spline analysis.

CONCLUSION

Low and high levels of Cre/CysC at dialysis initiation were independently associated with increased mortality rates.