Mortality is reported for general population cohorts assessing albuminuria as urine albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR). Kidney outcomes are reported for general population cohorts assessing albuminuria as either urine ACR or dipstick. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and albuminuria are expressed as categorical variables. All results are adjusted for covariates and compared with the reference cell (Ref). Each cell represents a pooled relative risk from a meta-analysis.

Incidence rates per 1,000 person-years (calculated from the reference cells) are 7.0 for all-cause mortality, 4.5 for cardiovascular disease mortality, 0.04 for kidney failure, 0.98 for acute kidney injury (AKI), and 2.02 for kidney disease progression. Absolute risk can be computed by multiplying the relative risks in each cell by the incidence rate in the reference cell. See Levey et al.²⁵ for full details.

Colors on this heat map reflect the ranking of adjusted relative risk. The point estimates for each cell were ranked from 1 to 28 (the lowest RR having rank number 1, and the highest number 28). The categories with rank numbers 1–8 are green, rank numbers 9–14 are yellow, the rank numbers 15–21 are orange, and the rank numbers 22–28 are colored red. Color for twelve additional cells with diagonal hatch marks is extrapolated based on results from the meta-analysis of chronic kidney disease cohorts and represents the highest risk. The highest level of albuminuria is termed ‘nephrotic’ to correspond with nephrotic range albuminuria and is expressed here as 2000 mg/g.

Figure and legend reprinted by permission from Macmillan Publishers Ltd: Kidney International,²⁵ copyright 2011.