Baseline clinical and laboratory characteristics of pre-dialysis patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) according to CKD stage.

Pa values were obtained by comparisons across all four groups using the Kruskal-Wallis test and χ2 test, as appropriate. CKD stages were determined as follows, stage 1: estimated GFR ≥90, stage 2: estimated GFR 60 to 89, stage 3: estimated GFR 30 to 59, and stage 4 and 5: estimated GFR 2, respectively. AU, arbitrary units; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; ARB, angiotensin II receptor blocker; ACEi, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor. Data are expressed as median (interquartile range).