Hospitalized patients with diabetes who have acute kidney injury (AKI) are at increased risk of experiencing hypoglycemia after they are discharged, according to a propensity-matched analysis involving >65,000 individuals. Participants included veterans who had diabetes with or without AKI and hospitalized between 2004 and 2012. Investigators looked at how long it took to develop hypoglycemia within 90 days of discharge. Assessment included subgroup analyses by renal recovery, baseline chronic kidney disease, preadmission drug regimen, and HbA1C. Among the results:

• Among patients with AKI, ~30 patients/1,000 patient-years developed hypoglycemia, vs ~24/1,000 patient-years in the non-AKI group.
• After adjusting for certain variables, patients with AKI were 27% more likely to develop AKI.
• Patients with AKI who fully recovered were 18% more likely to develop hypoglycemia.
• Those who partially or never recovered were 30% and 48% more likely, respectively.
• When considering all antidiabetes medication use, patients with AKI experienced hypoglycemia more frequently than those without.
• Incidence was highest among insulin, glyburide, and glipizide users.