Table 1 Patient characteristics according to baseline plasma potassium concentration (mmol/L)

 Age (years)

58.8 ± 15.2

56.0 ± 15.6

60.2 ± 14.8

56.9 ± 15.5

<.001

 Men (%)

66.3

60.7

67.9

72.7

<.001

 African (%)

13.0

18.0

11.0

12.2

<.001

 BMI (kg/m²)

26.6 ± 5.2

26.2 ± 5.4

26.8 ± 5.1

26.5 ± 5.2

0.20

 Former smokers (%)

30.9

25.4

33.2

30.8

<.001

 Current smokers (%)

13.7

12.4

13.4

20.3

 CVD history (%)

17.3

10.9

19.9

18.6

<.001

 Diabetes (%)

29.9

25.6

30.9

37.2

0.01

 Primary kidney disease (%)

<.001

  Diabetic

10.1

5.1

11.1

18.6

  Glomerular

14.1

12.4

14.3

18.6

  Vascular

26.2

26.5

26.4

23.3

  Polycystic

5.5

9.0

4.3

3.5

  Interstitial

9.0

9.9

8.8

7.6

  Other or unknown

35.0

37.1

35.0

28.5

 Systolic BP (mm Hg)

136.0 ± 20.4

134.7 ± 20.7

136.2 ± 20.8

138.8 ± 21.4

0.07

 Diastolic BP (mm Hg)

74.8 ± 11.6

75.5 ± 12.2

74.5 ± 11.5

76.1 ± 10.3

0.13

 Mean BP (mmHg)

95.3 ± 13.3

95.3 ± 14

95.0 ± 13.0

97.0 ± 12.6

0.48

 mGFR (ml/min/1.73m²)

38.9 (27.2–53.8)

47.9 (35.7–64.2)

37.6 (26.7–51.7)

24.7 (16.4–34.3)

<.001

 Albuminemia (g/L)

39.4 ± 4.5

39.4 ± 4.2

39.4 ± 4.5

39.3 ± 5.2

0.72

 Albumin/creatinine ratio

8.9 (1.6–50.9)

5.4 (1.4–31.7)

9.6 (1.5–54.7)

28.0 (6.0–98.2)

<.001

 Plasma potassium (mmol/L)

4.3 ± 0.5

3.7 ± 0.2

4.4 ± 0.3

5.3 ± 0.4

–

 Urinary potassium (mmol/24 h)

66.0 ± 35.1

64.1 ± 31

62 ± 26.1

62 ± 26.1

0.10

 ACEi or ARBs (%)

74.4

65.7

76.5

86.1

<.001

 β-blockers (%)

37.3

32.5

39.3

38.4

0.02

 Bicarbonate (%)

3.8

1.6

4.1

7.6

<.001

 Potassium-binding resins (%)

6.6

2.3

7.2

16.9

<.001

 Potassium non-sparing diuretics^a(%)

46.7

48.2

45.6

50.6

0.08

 Potassium-sparing diuretics^b (%)

3.4

4.4

3.0

2.9

0.31