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Key Points
- Phosphate binder use is associated with a reduced death risk and slower progression of renal disease in nondialysis CKD patients.
- Compared with patients not receiving binders, those on any binder had a 32% decreased risk of death.
- They also experienced decreased decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate.
Phosphate binder use is associated with a reduced death risk and slower progression of renal disease in non-dialysis CKD patients, according to investigators.
Csaba P. Kovesdy, MD, Chief of Nephrology at Salem VA Medical Center in Salem, Va., and colleagues examined the association of calcium and sevelamer use with all-cause mortality and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in 1,188 male U.S. veterans with CKD but not on dialysis.
Phosphate binders were prescribed to 344 patients (32%); 234 (20%) were on calcium alone; 31 (3%) were on sevelamer alone; and 79 (7%) were on both calcium and sevelamer.
Compared with patients not receiving binders, those on any binder had a 32% decreased risk of death and decreased decline in eGFR , after adjusting for case mix, age, race, comorbidities, BP, BMI, smoking, and other potential confounders.
