METHODS

Design:

inception cohort followed for 4.5–6.5 years (median 5 y).

Setting:

60 hospitals in Sweden.

Patients:

920 patients 18–74 years of age (18% <45 y, 41% 45–64 y, and 41% ⩾65 y; 65% men) diagnosed with significant CKD (serum creatinine concentration >3.4 mg/dl [300 µmol/l] in men or >2.8 mg/dl [250 µmol/l] in women for the first time and permanently during the inclusion period), identified from the records of 68 medical laboratories that covered most inpatient and outpatient care in Sweden over a 2 year period. Patients with kidney transplants or elevated creatinine concentrations because of dehydration, acute renal failure, or terminal …