Understanding Treatment Effect Estimates When Treatment Effects Are Heterogeneous for More Than One Outcome [Methods Study], United States, 2013-2018

Current medical guidelines recommend a type of medicine called ACE/ARBs to help patients live longer and protect their kidneys after a stroke. But studies show that rates of kidney disease have gone up at the same time that more people have been using this medicine. Additional research may help show if some patients shouldn't take ACE/ARBs after a stroke.
In this study, the research team wanted to learn about the effects of taking ACE/ARBs for patients over age 65 who've had a stroke. The team reviewed Medicare claims for stroke survivors with and without chronic kidney disease, or CKD. CKD is a health problem in which the kidneys don't remove waste from the blood well. The team compared patients in areas of the country with different rates of ACE/ARB use. The team looked at how many patients lived and how many had kidney problems over two years.