Lower bicarbonate level is associated with CKD progression and all-cause mortality: a propensity score matching analysis

Although metabolic acidosis is known as a potential complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD), there is limited information concerning the association between metabolic acidosis and clinical outcomes. Five hundred fifty-two patients referred to renal division of Iwata City Hospital from 2015 to 2017 were included as a retrospective CKD cohort, and finally 178 patients with CKD stage III or IV and 20 to 80 years of age were analyzed. We examined the association between serum bicarbonate (HCO ) levels and clinical outcomes using Kaplan-Meier methods after the matching of baseline characteristics by propensity scores. Of 178 patients with CKD, patients with lower HCO levels (N = 94), as compared with patients with higher HCO levels (N = 84), were more likely to be male (P