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Lithium is a mainstay treatment for people with bipolar disorders, and it augments antidepressant drug therapy for unipolar depression. However, lithium use is associated with excess incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD). In this retrospective, population-based cohort study from Iceland, researchers examined risk for developing stage ≥3 CKD among people with mood disorders who used lithium. About 2000 lithium users (mean age, 49; mean follow-up, 5.7 years) were compared with ≈1200 non–lithium users (mean age, 38; mean follow-up, 4.4 years).
Findings were as follows:
10% of lithium users and 3% of non–lithium users developed stage ≥3 CKD (hazard ratio, 1.9, after adjustment for age, sex, and comorbidities).
Risk for developing stage ≥3 CKD …