The study design and patients were previously described.
9 Briefly,338 clinically stable stage 3 to 5 ND-CKD patient swere recruited from the outpatient clinics between September 1, 2011 and December 31, 2012. All patients received the integrated multidisciplinary CKD care program in Taiwan,11 focusing on dietary salt and protein restriction, nephrotoxin avoidance, and strict blood pressure and glycemic control. For each patient, a thorough medical history was taken and the medicalchartwasreviewedatthetimeofstudyenrollment.
The definition of CVD included coronary artery disease, as documented by coronary angiography or a history of myocardial infarction, class III to IV congestive heart failure, or cerebrovascularaccident.
Allpatientswerefollowedupevery3 months until June 30, 2014.
The study protocol complies with the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the institutional review board of Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital.
All participants gave their written informed consent before inclusion.