Thio CHL, Vart P, Kieneker LM, et al. - Researchers investigated the link of low education with incident chronic kidney disease (CKD) and alteration in kidney function, and determined potential mediators of this link. They studied data on 6,078 individuals who took part in the community-based Prevention of Renal and Vascular End-stage Disease study. Experts classified educational level into low, medium and high (< secondary, secondary/equivalent, > secondary schooling, respectively). Findings revealed an inverse link of educational level with CKD in the general population. The factors suggested to underlie this link were: diabetes and modifiable risk factors smoking, poor diet, BMI, waist-to-hip ratio and hypertension. Targeted preventive policies to attenuate socioeconomic differences in kidney disease were supported by these data.