Advanced CKD Among Adults With Cerebral Palsy: Incidence and Risk Factors

The age-related association between serum creatinine and cardiorespiratory morbidity and mortality and fractures among adults with cerebral palsy

PURPOSE

Serum creatinine may be an objective biomarker of salient health issues in adults with cerebral palsy (CP). The objective was to assess the age-related association between serum creatinine with 3-year risk of cardiorespiratory morbidity/mortality and fracture among adults with CP.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This retrospective cohort study used medical records between Jan. 1, 2012 and Oct. 2, 2022 from adults ≥18 years old with CP. The association between baseline serum creatinine with the 3-year risk of all-cause mortality, respiratory/cardiovascular morbidity/mortality, and fracture was assessed by age and sex using logistic regression. The discriminative ability of serum creatinine alone and in conjunction with other variables was assessed.

RESULTS

Over the 3-year follow-up, 8.3% of 1368 adults with CP had all-cause mortality, 25.6% had respiratory morbidity/mortality, 12.4% had cardiovascular morbidity/mortality, and 8.9% sustained a fracture. The association between serum creatinine with outcomes was dependent on age. For younger adults, lower creatinine had a higher odds ratio (OR) for all-cause mortality, respiratory morbidity/mortality, and fracture. For 51-60 year olds, higher creatinine had a higher OR for cardiovascular morbidity/mortality. Serum creatinine alone had modest prediction of outcomes, and generally improved prediction when added to models that included sex and co-occurring intellectual disabilities and epilepsy (c-statistic range, 0.54-0.84).

CONCLUSIONS

Lower serum creatinine may reflect frailty while higher levels may reflect kidney dysfunction, helping to explain the differential associations by age. Serum creatinine may be a useful biomarker as part of risk prediction models for these salient health issues for adults with CP.

Impairments and comorbidities in adults with cerebral palsy and spina bifida: a meta-analysis

Introduction

Aging with a childhood-onset disability, such as cerebral palsy (CP), spina bifida (SB), and muscular diseases (MD), comes along with significant impairments and comorbidities. Despite the increasing evidence an overall picture is lacking. This study aimed to review the literature about adults with CP/SB/MD and impairments and comorbidities to perform a meta-analysis.

Materials and methods

Embase, PubMed, Cinahl, and Google Scholar were searched (2000-2020). Search terms included adults with one of the aforementioned disabilities combined with impairments and comorbidities. If specific impairments or comorbidities were reported by at least four studies, these were included in the study. Pooled prevalence (95% Confidence Interval) of impairments/comorbidities were calculated.

Results

The search yielded 7,054 studies of which 95 were included in the meta-analysis (64 CP, 31 SB, 0 MD). In total estimates were calculated for 26 (CP) and 11 (SB) outcomes. In adults with CP, pain [56.4% (95%CI 48.8-63.8)], deformities [44.2% (95%CI 12.9-78.4)], intellectual disability [37.2% (95%CI 26.7-48.3)], and fatigue [36.9% (95%CI 24.6-50.1)] were most prevalent; renal disease [3.0% (95%CI 2.1-4.2)] and stroke/rheumatic diseases {4.8% (95%CI 3.4-6.5; 4.8% (95%CI 1.5-9.9)] respectively} were least prevalent. For adults with SB, bladder incontinence [60.0% (95%CI 50.5-69.2)], bowel incontinence [49.2% (95%CI 34.5-64.0)], pain [44.1% (95%CI 27.4-61.5)], and sleeping problems [30.3% (95%CI 4.7-65.8)] were most prevalent; diabetes [4.8% (95%CI 2.8-7.3)] and renal disease [8.7% (95%CI 2.0-19.9)] were least prevalent. The included studies showed large heterogeneity.

Conclusions

More research is needed to study health issues in adults with MD. Adults with CP or SB deal with a variety of health issues. More attention for the mental health of these adults is needed. There also is a need for accessible and adequate screening, preventive measures and clinical follow-up.

Prevalence and incidence of chronic conditions among adults with cerebral palsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM

To assess the prevalence and incidence of chronic conditions among adults with cerebral palsy (CP) and compare them to the prevalence and incidence among adults without CP.

METHOD

We searched MEDLINE and Embase for studies reporting the prevalence or incidence of one or more chronic conditions among adults with CP. Two independent reviewers screened titles, abstracts, and full-text articles. Two independent reviewers extracted data relating to prevalence and incidence and appraised study quality. We performed random-effects meta-analyses to pool prevalence and incidence.

RESULTS

We identified 69 studies; 65 reported the prevalence of 53 conditions and 13 reported the incidence of 21 conditions. At least 20% of adults had the following conditions: depression (21%); anxiety (21%); mood affective disorders (23%); asthma (24%); hypertension (26%); epilepsy (28%); urinary incontinence (32%); malnutrition (38%); and scoliosis (46%). Adults with CP were more likely to have type 2 diabetes, anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, hypertension, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, cerebrovascular disease, asthma, liver disease, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, underweight, and chronic kidney disease than adults without CP.

INTERPRETATION

These data from 18 countries, which provide an international perspective, may be used to promote awareness, identify targets for intervention, and inform the development of appropriate supports for adults with CP.

Providing a Primary Care Medical Home for Children and Youth With Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common motor disorder of childhood, with prevalence estimates ranging from 1.5 to 4 in 1000 live births. This clinical report seeks to provide primary care physicians with guidance to detect children with CP; collaborate with specialists in treating the patient; manage associated medical, developmental, and behavioral problems; and provide general medical care to their patients with CP.

Preventive Care for Adults With Cerebral Palsy and Other Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: Are We Missing the Point?

Preventive care techniques are cornerstones of primary care for people with neurodevelopmental disabilities such as cerebral palsy (CP). However, well-established methods evaluating health constructs may not be applied in the same way for adults with CP, as compared to the general population, due to differences in anatomy/physiology, leading to missed opportunities for interventions, medication modifications, and other primary/secondary prevention goals. One barrier to care prevention comes from misinterpretation of values to capture health constructs, even when measurements are accurate. In this Perspective, we emphasize the need for differential interpretation of values from commonly used clinical measures that assess for well-known medical issues among adults with CP obesity risk, bone health, and kidney health. We provide technical, but simple, evidence to showcase why the underlying assumptions of how some measures relate to the health construct being assessed may not be appropriate for adults with CP, which may apply to other neurodevelopmental conditions across the lifespan.

Shared Physiologic Pathways Among Comorbidities for Adults With Cerebral Palsy

Objective: Aging with cerebral palsy is accompanied by a declining health and function status across neurological and non-neurological systems. There is a need to understand the shared pathophysiology among comorbidities for adults with cerebral palsy, to inform clinical assessment and guidelines for interventions to improve healthful aging. To begin defining multimorbidity, this study identified the most common comorbidity combinations and their association with mortality among a representative sample of adults with cerebral palsy.

Methods: Data from 2016 to 2018 were used from a random 20% sample from the fee-for-service Medicare database. Adults ≥18 years with cerebral palsy and 25 neurological and non-neurological comorbidities were obtained from 2016. Principal component (PC) analysis identified the most common comorbidity combinations, defined as individual PCs. Cox regression estimated the hazard ratio (HR) of 2-year mortality including all PCs and demographics in a single model. To facilitate comparisons, PC scores were transformed into quintiles (reference: lowest quintile).

Results: Among the 16,728 adults with cerebral palsy, the most common comorbidity combinations (PCs) in order were: cardiorespiratory diseases, dysphagia, and fluid/electrolyte disorders; metabolic disorders (e.g., diabetes, renal disease, hypertension); neurologic-related disorders (e.g., dementia, cerebrovascular disease); gastrointestinal issues; and orthopedic-related disorders. During the 2-year follow-up, 1,486 (8.9%) died. In the adjusted model, most PCs were associated with an elevated mortality rate, especially the first PC (5th quintile HR = 3.91; 95%CI = 3.29–4.65).

Discussion: This study identified the most common comorbidity combinations for adults with cerebral palsy, many of them were deadly, which may inform on the underlying pathophysiology or shared characteristics of multimorbidity for this population.

The Association Between Kidney Disease and Mortality Among Adults With Cerebral Palsy-A Cohort Study: It Is Time to Start Talking About Kidney Health

Objective: Recent evidence shows that adults with cerebral palsy (CP) have an increased risk for kidney disease, but nothing is known about how kidney disease integrates with their overall health. To begin understanding the importance of kidney health, the objective was to determine if kidney disease is associated with mortality among adults with CP after accounting for comorbidities common to CP and kidney disease.

Methods: Data from 2016 to 2018 from adults ≥18 years with CP were used from a random 20% sample fee-for-service Medicare database. Kidney disease in 2016 was ascertained as chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 1–4, end stage kidney disease (ESKD), nephritic and nephrotic syndrome, and renal osteodystrophy. A modified version of the Whitney Comorbidity Index (modWCI) was used, which includes 24 comorbidities relevant to CP and kidney disease. Mortality rate ratio (MRR) through the year 2018 was estimated for each kidney disease and Cox regression estimated the hazard ratio (HR) of mortality after adjusting for demographics, co-occurring neurological conditions, and the modWCI.

Results: Prevalence of kidney disease was 7.3% among 16,728 adults with CP. MRR was elevated for any kidney disease (MRR = 3.14; 95%CI = 2.76–3.58) and most subtypes (MRR = 2.21–3.56; all p < 0.05). The adjusted HR of mortality remained elevated for any kidney disease (HR = 1.25; 95%CI = 1.09–1.45) and ESKD (HR = 1.38; 95%CI = 1.10–1.74).

Discussion: Kidney disease, especially ESKD, is associated with mortality among adults with CP independent of comorbidities that are relevant to CP and kidney disease. Findings suggest that nephrology care should be considered as part of routine clinical care for this population.

Navigating the Pathway to Care in Adults With Cerebral Palsy

As individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) age, they face unique challenges which complicate their ability to access and receive appropriate health care. These problems exist at the level of the health care system, the clinician, and the individual. At the system level, there is an inadequate number of professionals who are informed of and interested in the care of adults with CP. Pediatric clinicians prefer treating children, and adult caregivers are not knowledgeable about and may feel less competent about CP. Pediatric care does not translate well to the adult population, and information about best practices for adults is just starting to develop. Differences in the physiologic development of individuals with CP render well-established clinical protocols for risk screening of chronic diseases less effective. Moreover, lack of supportive resources decreases a caregiver's sense of self-efficacy in treating this population. The patient's ability to navigate these barriers is complicated by the high prevalence of comorbid cognitive impairment and mental health issues including anxiety, depression, and other psychiatric disorders; a bidirectional relationship between challenges in navigating care/needs and comorbid mental health conditions appears likely. Many patients have additional barriers related to social determinants of health, such as access to transportation, accessible health care facilities, and other personal and environmental factors that may impede health maintenance and wellness. Increasing and disseminating knowledge, harnessing the power of new technologies such as telemedicine, and addressing mental health issues are some of the methods that are available to help adults with CP navigate this road.

Polypharmacy is a risk factor for mortality, severe chronic kidney disease, and liver disease among privately insured adults with cerebral palsy

BACKGROUND: Adults with cerebral palsy (CP) have an increased risk for polypharmacy, premature mortality, and early development of several morbidities, including conditions associated with excess medication exposure, such as chronic kidney disease (CKD) and liver disease. To date, very little is known about the consequence of polypharmacy for adults with CP. OBJECTIVE: To determine if polypharmacy is associated with an increased risk for mortality, severe CKD, and liver disease among adults with CP, before and after adjusting for comorbid neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs) and multimorbidity. METHODS: This is an exploratory treatment effectiveness study. Data from the Optum Clinformatics Data Mart were used for this retrospective cohort study. Adults aged 18 years or older with a diagnosis of CP and without severe CKD (stages IV+) and liver disease were identified from the calendar year 2013 and were subsequently followed from January 1, 2014, to death, severe CKD, liver disease, loss to follow-up, or end of study period (December 31, 2017). Diagnosis codes were used to identify NDDs (intellectual disabilities, epilepsy, autism spectrum disorders, spina bifida) and 24 relevant morbidities at baseline (i.e., calendar year 2013). Polypharmacy was defined as ≥ 5 medications and hyperpolypharmacy was defined as ≥ 10 medications at baseline. Cox regression models were developed to examine the association (as HR and 95% CI) between polypharmacy and hyperpolypharmacy with mortality, severe CKD, and liver disease separately, before and after adjusting for covariates (demographics, NDDs, multimorbidity). Exploratory analyses examined the mediating effect of incident severe CKD or liver disease on the association between the exposure (polypharmacy or hyperpolypharmacy) on outcomes. RESULTS: Of the 9,238 adults with CP, 58.5% had polypharmacy and 29.5% had hyperpolypharmacy. The fully adjusted HR for mortality was 2.14 (95% CI = 1.59-2.89) for polypharmacy and 1.65 (95% CI = 1.31-2.09) for hyperpolypharmacy. The fully adjusted HR for severe CKD was 1.66 (95% CI = 1.17-2.36) for polypharmacy and 1.67 (95% CI = 1.27-2.19) for hyperpolypharmacy. The fully adjusted HR for liver disease was 1.57 (95% CI = 1.27-1.94) for polypharmacy and 1.72 (95% CI = 1.42-2.08) for hyperpolypharmacy. Incident liver disease mediated 5.37% (polypharmacy) and 7.54% (hyperpolypharmacy) of the association between the exposure with incident severe CKD for nonelderly (aged < 65 years), while incident severe CKD mediated 7.05% (polypharmacy) and 6.64% (hyperpolypharmacy) of the association between the exposure with incident liver disease for elderly (aged ≥ 65 years). CONCLUSIONS: Polypharmacy and hyperpolypharmacy are robust risk factors for risk of mortality, severe CKD, and liver disease among privately insured adults with CP. While incidence of severe CKD and liver disease had negligible effects on the association between polypharmacy with mortality, there is evidence that they mediate a considerable portion of one another and require further examination. DISCLOSURES: During the work for this study, Whitney was supported by the University of Michigan Office of Health Equity and Inclusion Diversity Fund and American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine. The funding sources had no role in the design or conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, or interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.