Bock F, Stewart TG, Robinson-Cohen C, et al. - In this case-cohort study, researchers determined if differences in baseline kidney function could explain the 2.4-fold elevated risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) earlier reported in blacks vs whites from the southeastern US, with low socioeconomic status (SES), enrolled in a prospective study, named as the Southern Community Cohort Study. They included 737 incident ESRD cases with stored blood and a probability sampled subcohort (n = 4,238). Baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was identified as a strong predictor of ESRD risk, and interaction with race was identified, in multivariable Cox models accounting for sampling weights. Even after adjustment for eGFR, blacks vs whites continued to have higher ESRD risk. They concluded that differences in baseline kidney function did not explain the racial disparity in ESRD risk in this predominantly lower SES cohort.