The aim of this study was to investigate 28-day mortality after COVID-19 diagnosis in the European kidney replacement therapy population. In addition, we determined the role of patient characteristics, treatment factors, and country on mortality risk with the use of ERA-EDTA Registry data on patients receiving kidney replacement therapy in Europe from February 1, 2020, to April 30, 2020. Additional data on all patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19 were collected from 7 European countries encompassing 4298 patients. COVID-19attributable mortality was calculated using propensity score-matched historic control data and after 28 days of follow-up was 20.0% (95% confidence interval 18.7%-21.4%) in 3285 patients receiving dialysis and 19.9% (17.5%-22.5%) in 1013 recipients of a transplant. We identified differences in COVID-19 mortality across countries, and an increased mortality risk in older patients receiving kidney replacement therapy and male patients receiving dialysis. In recipients of kidney transplants ‡75 years of age, 44.3% (35.7%-53.9%) did not survive COVID-19. Mortality risk was 1.28 (1.02-1.60) times higher in transplant recipients compared with matched dialysis patients. Thus, the pandemic has had a substantial effect on mortality in patients receiving kidney replacement therapy, a highly vulnerable population due to underlying chronic kidney disease and a high prevalence of multimorbidity.

Dietary protein restriction may improve determinants of CKD progression. However, the extent of improvement and effect of ketoanalogue supplementation are unclear. We conducted a prospective, randomized, controlled trial of safety and efficacy of ketoanalogue-supplemented vegetarian very low-protein diet (KD) compared with conventional low-protein diet (LPD). Primary end point was RRT initiation or .50% reduction in initial eGFR. Nondiabetic adults with stable eGFR,30 ml/min per 1.73 m 2 , proteinuria ,1 g/g urinary creatinine, good nutritional status, and good diet compliance entered a run-in phase on LPD. After 3 months, compliant patients were randomized to KD (0.3 g/kg vegetable proteins and 1 cps/5 kg ketoanalogues per day) or continue LPD (0.6 g/kg per day) for 15 months. Only 14% of screened patients patients were randomized, with no differences between groups. Adjusted numbers needed to treat (NNTs; 95% confidence interval) to avoid composite primary end point in intention to treat and per-protocol analyses in one patient were 4.4 (4.2 to 5.1) and 4.0 (3.9 to 4.4), respectively, for patients with eGFR,30 ml/min per 1.73 m 2 . Adjusted NNT (95% confidence interval) to avoid dialysis was 22.4 (21.5 to 25.1) for patients with eGFR,30 ml/min per 1.73 m 2 but decreased to 2.7 (2.6 to 3.1) for patients with eGFR,20 ml/min per 1.73 m 2 in intention to treat analysis. Correction of metabolic abnormalities occurred only with KD. Compliance to diet was good, with no changes in nutritional parameters and no adverse reactions. Thus, this KD seems nutritionally safe and could defer dialysis initiation in some patients with CKD.

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Background. Phosphate binders are required to control serum phosphorus in dialysis patients. A phosphate binder combining calcium and magnesium offers an interesting therapeutic option.Methods. This controlled randomized, investigator-masked, multicentre trial investigated the effect of calcium acetate/magnesium carbonate (CaMg) on serum phosphorus levels compared with sevelamer hydrochloride (HCl). The study aim was to show non-inferiority of CaMg in lowering serum phosphorus levels into Kidney Disease Outcome Quality Initiative (K/DOQI) target level range after 24 weeks. Three hundred and twenty-six patients from five European countries were included. After a phosphate binder washout period, 255 patients were randomized in a 1:1 fashion. Two hundred and four patients completed the study per protocol (CaMg, N = 105; dropouts N = 18; sevelamer-HCl, N = 99; dropouts N = 34). Patient baseline characteristics were similar in both groups.Results. Serum phosphorus levels had decreased significantly with both drugs at week 25, and the study hypothesis of CaMg not being inferior to sevelamer-HCl was confirmed. The area under the curve for serum phosphorus (P = 0.0042) and the number of visits above K/DOQI (≤1.78 mmol/L, P = 0.0198) and Kidney disease: Improving global outcomes (KDIGO) targets (≤1.45 mmol/L, P = 0.0067) were significantly lower with CaMg. Ionized serum calcium did not differ between groups; total serum calcium increased in the CaMg group (treatment difference 0.0477 mmol/L; P = 0.0032) but was not associated with a higher risk of hypercalcaemia. An asymptomatic increase in serum magnesium occurred in CaMg-treated patients (treatment difference 0.2597 mmol/L, P < 0.0001). There was no difference in the number of patients with adverse events.Conclusion. CaMg was non-inferior to the comparator at controlling serum phosphorus levels at Week 25. There was no change in ionized calcium; there was minimal increase in total serum calcium and a small increase in serum magnesium. It had a good tolerability profile and thus may represent an effective treatment of hyperphosphataemia.

Intravenous iron therapy in pre-dialysis patients with no Epo seems often to ameliorate the anaemia, avoiding the necessity of Epo or blood transfusions in one-third of pre-dialyzed non-diabetic patients. Intravenous iron supplementation appears to be an effective and safe treatment for anaemia in pre-dialysis CRF patients.

The QoL of HD patients in Romania is lower than that in the general population. Our results suggest that at least one-third of these patients might be considered for rehabilitation therapy, in order to try and prevent complications and mortality.

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Despite a widespread preconception that HD should be reserved for cases in which PD is not feasible, in Europe, we found 1 in 8 infants in need of maintenance dialysis to be initiated on HD therapy. Patient characteristics at dialysis therapy initiation, prospective survival, and time to transplantation were very similar for infants initiated on PD or HD therapy.