Chronic kidney disease severely deteriorates the outcome of gastrointestinal bleeding: A meta-analysis

AIM: To understand the influence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on mortality, need for transfusion and rebleeding in gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding patients. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in three databases for studies on GI bleeding patients with CKD or end-stage renal disease (ESRD) with data on outcomes of mortality, transfusion requirement, rebleeding rate and length of hospitalization (LOH). Calculations were performed with Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software using the random effects model. Heterogeneity was tested by using Cochrane’s Q and I(2) statistics. Mean difference (MD) and OR (odds ratio) were calculated. RESULTS: 1063 articles (EMBASE: 589; PubMed: 459; Cochrane: 15) were found in total. 5 retrospective articles and 1 prospective study were available for analysis. These 6 articles contained data on 406035 patients, of whom 51315 had impaired renal function. The analysis showed a higher mortality in the CKD group (OR = 1.786, 95%CI: 1.689-1.888, P < 0.001) and the ESRD group (OR = 2.530, 95%CI: 1.386-4.616, P = 0.002), and a rebleeding rate (OR = 2.510, 95%CI: 1.521-4.144, P < 0.001) in patients with impaired renal function. CKD patients required more unit red blood cell transfusion (MD = 1.863, 95%CI: 0.812-2.915, P < 0.001) and spent more time in hospital (MD = 13.245, 95%CI: 6.886-19.623, P < 0.001) than the controls. CONCLUSION: ESRD increases mortality, need for transfusion, rebleeding rate and LOH among GI bleeding patients. Prospective patient registries and observational clinical trials are crucially needed.