eGFR Levels Associated with Mortality in Patients with Kidney Disease

Experts have suggested that a lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) threshold be used for defining chronic kidney disease in women than in men (Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2008; 3:1563). In this meta-analysis, investigators determined whether sex affected associations between eGFR or albuminuria (as defined by urinary albumin–creatinine ratio) and all-cause death, cardiovascular (CV)-related death, and end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

Researchers evaluated 46 cohorts (>2 million participants; 54% women; mean follow-up, 5.8 years) from six continents. For both sexes, risk for all-cause death increased with lower eGFR levels; however, the slope of this association was steeper for women than for men. That is, excess risk for all-cause deat…