BackgroundThe progression and complications of chronic kidney disease should differ depending on the cause (C), glomerular filtration rate category (G), and albuminuria (A). The KNOW-CKD (KoreaN Cohort Study for Outcome in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease), which is a prospective cohort study, enrolls subjects with chronic kidney disease stages 1 to 5 (predialysis).Methods/DesignNine nephrology centers in major university hospitals throughout Korea will enroll approximately 2,450 adults with chronic kidney disease over a 5-year period from 2011 to 2015. The participating individuals will be monitored for approximately 10 years until death or until end-stage renal disease occurs. The subjects will be classified into subgroups based on the following specific causes of chronic kidney disease: glomerulonephritis, diabetic nephropathy, hypertensive nephropathy, polycystic kidney disease, and others. The eligible subjects will be evaluated at baseline for socio-demographic information, detailed personal/family history, office BP, quality of life, and health behaviors. After enrollment in the study, thorough assessments, including laboratory tests, cardiac evaluation and radiologic imaging, will be performed according to the standardized protocol. The biospecimen samples will be collected regularly. A renal event is defined by >50% decrease in estimated GFR (eGFR) from the baseline values, doubling of serum creatinine, or end-stage renal disease. The primary composite outcome consists of renal events, cardiovascular events, and death. As of September 2013, 1,470 adult chronic kidney disease subjects were enrolled in the study, including 543 subjects with glomerulonephritis, 317 with diabetic nephropathy, 294 with hypertensive nephropathy and 249 with polycystic kidney disease.DiscussionAs the first large-scale chronic kidney disease cohort study to be established and maintained longitudinally for up to 10 years, the KNOW-CKD will help to clarify the natural course, complication profiles, and risk factors of Asian populations with chronic kidney disease.Trial registrationNo. NCT01630486 at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov.

Our study suggests that LF may better preserve RRF over the 12-month treatment period in incident CAPD patients.

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Background and objectives Data on whether low or high urinary potassium excretion is associated with poor kidney outcome have been conflicting. The aim of this study was to clarify the association between urinary potassium excretion and CKD progression.Design, setting, participants, & measurements We investigated the relationship between lower urinary potassium excretion and CKD progression and compared three urinary potassium indices among 1821 patients from the Korean Cohort Study for Outcome in Patients with CKD. Urinary potassium excretion was determined using spot urinary potassium-to-creatinine ratio, spot urinary potassium concentration, and 24-hour urinary potassium excretion. Patients were categorized into four groups according to quartiles of each urinary potassium excretion metric. The study end point was a composite of a $50% decrease in eGFR from baseline values and ESKD.Results During 5326 person-years of follow-up, the primary outcome occurred in 392 (22%) patients. In a multivariable cause-specific hazard model, lower urinary potassium-to-creatinine ratio was associated with higher risk of CKD progression (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.47; 95% confidence interval, 1.01 to 2.12) comparing the lowest quartile with the highest quartile. Sensitivity analyses with other potassium metrics also showed consistent results in 855 patients who completed 24-hour urinary collections: adjusted hazard ratios comparing the lowest quartile with the highest quartile were 3.05 (95% confidence interval, 1.54 to 6.04) for 24-hour urinary potassium excretion, 1.95 (95% confidence interval, 1.05 to 3.62) for spot urinary potassium-to-creatinine ratio, and 3.79 (95% confidence interval, 1.51 to 9.51) for spot urinary potassium concentration.Conclusions Low urinary potassium excretion is associated with progression of CKD.

BackgroundChronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Previous trials have investigated the effects of low-dose aspirin on CVD prevention in patients with diabetes; however, patients with CKD were not examined. The role of aspirin in diabetics is controversial, and the available literature is contradictory. Therefore, we studied whether low-dose aspirin would be beneficial for patients with CKD, a group that is at high risk for CVD.MethodFrom a total of 25340 patients with CKD, 1884 recipients of low-dose aspirin (100 mg/day) were paired 1∶1 with non-recipients for analysis using propensity score matching. The primary endpoint was the development of atherosclerotic CVD, including coronary arterial disease, stroke, and peripheral arterial disease. Secondary endpoints included death from any cause, bleeding events, doubling of serum creatinine, and renal death.ResultsThe incidence of a primary endpoint of any atherosclerotic CVD was significantly higher in the aspirin users than in the non-users (P<0.001). Secondary endpoints, including all-cause mortality and composite bleeding events, were not significantly different between the aspirin users and the non-users. However, the doubling of serum creatinine levels (P = 0.001) and renal death (P = 0.042) were significantly associated with the use of aspirin.ConclusionThese results suggest that the use of low-dose aspirin in patients with CKD may have harmful consequences related to the development of CVD and renal progression.