Acute Kidney Injury and Edaravone in Acute Ischemic Stroke: The Fukuoka Stroke Registry

BackgroundA free radical scavenger, edaravone, which has been used for the treatment of ischemic stroke, was reported to cause acute kidney injury (AKI) as a fatal adverse event. The aim of the present study was to clarify whether edaravone is associated with AKI in patients with acute ischemic stroke.MethodsFrom the Fukuoka Stroke Registry database, 5689 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke who were hospitalized within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms were included in this study. A logistic regression analysis for the Fukuoka Stroke Registry cohort was done to identify the predictors for AKI. A propensity score–matched nested case–control study was also performed to elucidate any association between AKI and edaravone.ResultsAcute kidney injury occurred in 128 of 5689 patients (2.2%) with acute ischemic stroke. A multivariate analysis revealed that the stroke subtype, the basal serum creatinine level, and the presence of infectious complications on admission were each predictors of developing AKI. In contrast, a free radical scavenger, edaravone, reduced the risk of developing AKI (multivariate-adjusted odds ratio [OR] .45, 95% confidence interval [CI] .30-.67). Propensity score–matched case–control study confirmed that edaravone use was negatively associated with AKI (propensity score–adjusted OR .46, 95% CI .29-.74).ConclusionsAlthough AKI has a significant impact on the clinical outcome of hospital inpatients, edaravone has a protective effect against the development of AKI in patients with acute ischemic stroke.