The effect of gender on acute kidney injury developing in the intensive care unit

Background: There are distinct differences specific to gender in the susceptibility, prevalence, and progression of kidney injuries. We aimed to investigate whether there is a correlation between acute kidney injury (AKI) developing in patients monitored in the intensive care unit (ICU) with regards to gender. Methods: The current study retrospectively screened the electronic records of patients monitored in the adult ICU between 2015 and 2018. The patients' age, gender, duration of their stay in the ICU, mortality rate, and need for hemodialysis were recorded and analyzed. The diagnosis of AKI was defined according to the Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) criteria. Patients with AKIN stage 2 and stage 3 were accepted as having an AKI. Patients were separated into two groups: those who developed an AKI and those who did not. The patients were classified into age groups: those aged 18-65 years and those older than 65 years. The demographic data and gender distribution of the groups were then compared. Results: Of the patients who developed AKI, the mean age (p=0.0001), the number of days they stayed at the ICU (p=0.006), the mortality rate (p=0.0001), and the need for hemodialysis were significantly higher than the non-AKI group. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups with regards to gender distribution (p=0.612). Acute kidney injury was found to be statistically significantly higher in both the male and female groups over 65 years when compared to the group aged 18-65-years (male p=0.004, female p=0.002, respectively). Conclusions: When surveying the complete patient sample, AKI in the ICU was more prevalent in adult males under 65 than their female counterparts. However, there were more incidences of AKI in women over 65 than in men over 65 years. This may be due to structural changes and comorbidities in the kidney due to advanced age, as well as a decrease in estrogen levels.