Can patterns of medication use explain the increasing incidence of end stage kidney disease among people with diabetes in Australia

Abstract Aims Recently, an increase in the incidence of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) among people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) aged Methods Among National Diabetes Services Scheme registrants, we determined the annual prevalence of dispensed glucose-lowering (GL), blood-pressure-lowering (BPL) and lipid-lowering (LL) agents with ≥3, ≥6 or ≥9 dispensings per year from 2003 to 2013. Relative changes in the prevalence were determined via Poisson regression. Results During 2003─2013, the percentage of people with T2D dispensed GL, BPL and LL agents with ≥3, ≥6 or ≥9 dispensings per year increased in all age-groups. From 2003 to 2013, GL, BPL and LL agents use with ≥3 dispensings per year increased by 17%, 8.2%, and 53%, respectively. The use of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system-blockers over time also increased but more slowly in those aged Conclusions Changes in medication use are not likely to explain increasing incidence of ESKD in younger Australians with T2D. Studies are needed to provide insights into the major drivers of the rising incidence of ESKD in this population.