Background: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) affects 8-16% of the population worldwide and is characterized by an estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) of less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 for more than 3 months. The main purpose of the study is to record the treatment algorithms and disease management of patients presenting for the first time to hospital-based nephrologists with a reduced eGFR and CKD diagnosis, under real-world clinical practice in Greece. Methods: This is the 6-month interim analysis of an ongoing, multicenter, observational, prospective, national study, which included 178 patients, with an eGFR between <60 and 15 mL/min/1.73 m2, presenting for the first time to nephrologists at 15 public hospital units. Results: The median age of the patients was 71 years old, with 39.6% of them categorized as CKD stage G3b. Of these patients, 71.6% and 33.7% suffered from arterial hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus, respectively; 78.7% of patients received antihypertensive and 38.5% antidiabetic medications. Calcium channel blocker usage increased with disease progression (from 52.2% at G3a, to 67.9% and 67.6% at G3b and G4, respectively), while that of angiotensin II receptor antagonists decreased (from 78.3% at G3a, to 41.5% and 17.6% at G3b and G4, respectively). A decrease in metformin usage and an increase in Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP4i) usage was also observed upon disease progression. Furthermore, 18.5%, 32.0% and 7.7% of patients received Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) at the G3a, G3b and G4 stages, respectively. Conclusions: The interim analysis results contributed to the collection of real-world data for the therapeutic patterns and the management of CKD in Greece.

To explore the effect of different levels of systolic blood pressure (SBP) control on new-onset chronic kidney disease in hypertension multimorbidity. The hypertensive patients with multimorbidity information were enrolled from the Kailuan Study. The isolated hypertension patients undergoing physical examination during the same period were selected in a 1:1 ratio as control. Finally, 12,897 participants were divided into six groups: Group SBP < 110 mmHg, Group 110 ≤ SBP < 120 mmHg, Group 120 ≤ SBP < 130 mmHg, Group 130 ≤ SBP < 140 mmHg, Group 140 ≤ SBP < 160 mmHg and Group SBP ≥ 160 mmHg. The outcomes were new-onset CKD, new onset proteinuria, decline in eGFR and high or very high risk of CKD. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine the hazard ratios (HRs) of the outcomes among SBP levels. When 110 ≤ SBP < 120 mmHg, the incidence density of new-onset CKD, new onset proteinuria and decline in eGFR were 59.54, 20.23 and 29.96 per 1000 person-years, respectively. Compared to this group, the HR (95% CI) values for the risk of new-onset CKD from Group SBP < 110 mmHg to Group SBP ≥ 160 mmHg were 1.03 (0.81-1.32), 1.04 (0.91-1.19), 1.09 (0.95-1.16), 1.16 (1.02-1.21) and 1.18 (1.04-1.24), respectively. For patients over 65 years old, the risks of outcomes were increased when SBP < 120 mmHg. The lowest HR of high or very high risk of CKD for participants with or without multimorbidity occurred when 120 ≤ SBP < 130 mmHg. The HR of new-onset CKD in hypertension multimorbidity was lowest at 110-120 mmHg. The optimal SBP level was between 120 and 130 mmHg for individuals with high or very high risk of CKD. For patients over 65 years old, the low limit of target BP is advised to be not lower than 120 mmHg.

Many guidelines have recommended renin-angiotensin system inhibitors (RASI) as the first-line treatment for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We studied RASI prescription trends from 2010 to 2019, and analyzed the characteristics associated with RASI prescription in Chinese hospitalized CKD patients.

To study the prescription of renin angiotensin system inhibitors in hospitalized patients with CKD in China.

It was retrospectively, cross-sectional reviewed RASI prescriptions in hospitalized CKD patients in China from 2010 to 2019. RASI prescribing trends were analyzed from 2010 to 2019, and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify characteristics associated with RASI prescription.

A total of 35090 CKD patients were included, with 10043 (28.6%) RASI prescriptions. Among these patients, 18919 (53.9%) met the criteria for RASI treatments based on the 2012 kidney disease: Improving global outcomes guidelines. Of these, 7246 (38.3%) patients received RASI prescriptions. RASI prescriptions showed an initial rapid increase from 2011 to 2012, reached its peak around 2015 and 2016, and then exhibited a subsequent slight decreasing trend. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses showed that several characteristics, including the male gender, age less than 60-year-old, nephrology department admission, lower CKD stage, history of hypertension or diabetes, proteinuria, glomerulonephritis as the CKD etiology, and non-acute kidney injury were associated with RASI prescriptions.

The frequency of RASI prescriptions showed an initial increase but a slight decreasing trend in more recent years. CKD patients with certain characteristics such as elderly age, advanced disease stage, surgery department admission, or acute kidney injury were less likely to receive RASI prescriptions. In the application of RASI in hospitalized CKD patients is insufficient. The actual clinical practice needs to be improved. The development of related research is helpful to guide the correct choice of clinical treatment strategy.

Alcohol consumption is a proven risk factor of hypertension. In the present analysis, we investigated the use of antihypertensive medications and blood pressure control in male alcohol drinkers and non-drinkers with hypertension (systolic/diastolic blood pressure 160-199/100-119 mm Hg).

The study participants were patients enrolled in a 12-week therapeutic study and treated with the irbesartan/hydrochlorothiazide combination 150/12.5 mg once daily, with the possible up-titration to 300/12.5 mg/day and 300/25 mg/day at 4 and 8 weeks of follow-up, respectively, for blood pressure control of <140/90 mm Hg or <130/80 mm Hg in patients with diabetes mellitus. Alcohol consumption was classified as non-drinkers and drinkers.

The 68 alcohol drinkers and 168 non-drinkers had similar systolic/diastolic blood pressure at baseline (160.8 ± 12.1/99.8 ± 8.6 vs. 161.8 ± 11.0/99.2 ± 8.6, P ≥ 0.55) and other characteristics except for current smoking (80.9% vs. 47.6%, P < 0.0001). In patients who completed the 12-week follow-up (n = 215), the use of higher dosages of antihypertensive drugs was similar at 4 weeks of follow-up in drinkers and non-drinkers (10.6% vs. 12.4%, P = 0.70), but increased to a significantly higher proportion in drinkers than non-drinkers at 12 weeks of follow-up (54.7% vs. 36.6%, P = 0.01). The control rate of hypertension tended to be lower in alcohol drinkers, compared with non-drinkers, at 4 weeks of follow-up (45.6% vs. 58.9%, P = 0.06), but became similar at 12 weeks of follow-up (51.5% vs. 54.8%, P = 0.65).

Alcohol drinkers compared with non-drinkers required a higher dosage of antihypertensive drug treatment to achieve similar blood pressure control.

NCT00670566 at www.clinicaltrials.gov.

To investigate the potential effect of modification of antihypertensive medications on the association of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) long-term exposure and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Data of the national representative sample of adult population from the China National Survey of Chronic Kidney Disease (2007-2010) were included in the analyses, and exposure data of NO₂ were collected and matched. Generalized mixed-effects models were used to analyze the associations between NO₂ and CKD, stratified by the presence of hypertension and taking antihypertensive medications. The stratified exposure-response curves of NO₂ and CKD were fitted using the natural spine smoothing function. The modifying effects of antihypertensive medications on the association and the exposure-response curve of NO₂ and CKD were analyzed.

Data of 45 136 participants were included, with an average age of (49.5±15.3) years. The annual average exposure concentration of NO₂ was (7.2±6.4) μg/m³. Altogether 6 517 (14.4%) participants were taking antihypertensive medications, and 4 833 (10.7%) participants were identified as having CKD. After adjustment for potential confounders, in the hypertension population not using antihypertensive medications, long-term exposure to NO₂ was associated with a significant increase risk of CKD (OR: 1.38, 95%CI: 1.24-1.54, P < 0.001); while in the hypertension population using antihypertensive medications, no significant association between long-term exposure to NO₂ and CKD (OR: 0.96, 95%CI: 0.86-1.07, P=0.431) was observed. The exposure-response curve of NO₂ and CKD suggested that there was a non-linear trend in the association between NO₂ and CKD. The antihypertension medications showed significant modifying effects both on the association and the exposure-response curve of NO₂ and CKD (interaction P < 0.001).

The association between long-term exposure to NO₂ and CKD was modified by antihypertensive medications. Taking antihypertensive medications may mitigate the effect of long-term exposure to NO₂ on CKD.