Low Bicarbonate in CKD Patients Raises Death Risk

Low serum bicarbonate is a strong predictor of mortality among adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD), new findings suggest.

Kalani L. Raphael, MD, of the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City, and collaborators analyzed data from 15,836 adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III. They placed subjects into one of four serum bicarbonate categories: less than 22, 22-25, 26-30, and 31 mM or greater.

After adjusting for age, gender, race, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and numerous other potential confounders, subjects with CKD who had a bicarbonate level below 22 had a nearly 2.6 times increased risk of death compared with those who had a level of 26-30 (reference category), the investigators reported in Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation (2013;28:1207-1213).

From the July 01, 2013 Issue of Renal and Urology News