Kidney diseases pose a significant challenge to global health, explained by the high prevalence and the debilitating consequences on various other organs associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, understanding is evolving that acute kidney injury (AKI), which has conventionally been seen as a transient occurrence, also significantly contributes to long-standing adverse effects on multiple organs, progression of CKD, and the increased long-term mortality. As such, AKI aligns with traditional risk factors for progressive kidney disease, such as hypertension and diabetes. These somatic risk factors are accompanied by demographic and socioeconomic determinants as well as an increasing set of medical treatments influencing kidney diseases or their risk factors.

Our group aims to better understand this complex web of disease modifiers within the trajectory of kidney diseases with a specific focus on the AKI and the interorgan crosstalk of kidney diseases. Additionally, we try to elucidate the underlying role of inflammation, which is emerging as a major pathophysiological component within the kidney disease trajectory. Our work includes a broad set of epidemiological strategies and methods and is performed on population-based and disease-specific cohorts.

These include the Hamburg City Health Study (HCHS), a large, prospective population-based cohort of residents of Hamburg, undergoing extensive organ phenotyping and the Hamburg Acute Kidney Injury Study (HAKIS), a propspective AKI cohort established and led by our group to characterize AKI trajectories and their long-term consequences. Futher resources included CKD cohort studies, the Hamburg and European Renal Omics Bank (HERO), as well as overarching nationwide Danish registries. This undertaking is conducted with the support of national and international collaborating partners.