Table 1.
Inclusion and exclusion criteria of K-STAR study
| Inclusion criteria | Exclusion criteria |
|---|---|
| Followed over 6 months by nephrologists | Using ketosteril or AST-120 with the last 2 months |
| CKD 3 or 4 | Gastrointestinal disease |
| eGFR by Cockcroft-Gault equation of 15–59 mL/min/1.73 m2 | Active ulcer or inflammatory bowel disease |
| Serum Cr 2.0–5.0 mg/dL | |
| Measured or expected eGFR decline of ≥ 2.5 mL/min/1.73 m2 over 6 months or ≥ 5 mL/min/1.73 m2 over 12 months | Obstructive uropathy or reversible kidney disease |
| Autosomal polycystic kidney disease | |
| Proteinuria ≥ 10 g/day | |
| History of kidney transplantation | |
| Controlled blood pressure | Heart failure (New York Heart Association classes 3 and 4) |
| SBP ≤ 160 mmHg and DBP ≤ 100 mmHg | Uncontrolled arrhythmia |
| Measured three or more times at intervals of 4 weeks | Acute coronary syndrome |
| Cerebral infarction, hemorrhagic infarction within 6 months | |
| No significant changes in CKD treatment | Active infection or uncontrolled inflammatory disease |
| Liver cirrhosis (Child-Turcotte Pugh B or C) | |
| Progressive malignancy | |
| Uncontrolled blood sugar (HbA1c > 10%) Hb < 7.0 g/dL | |
| Life expectancy < 12 months | |
| Pregnancy, lactating women, planning to pregnancy |
K-STAR, Kremezin STudy Against Renal disease progression in Korea; CKD, chronic kidney disease; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; Cr, creatinine; SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; HbA1c, hemoglobin A1c; Hb, hemoglobin.