Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a preventable and treatable condition, however, it is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States. It is currently estimated to affect 37 million Americans, with the majority of these patients unaware of their condition. 

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is responsible for providing evidence-based recommendations for CKD prevention, and currently does not offer any recommendations for CKD screening. On World Kidney Day 2022, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) released a statement urging USPSTF to create recommendations that prioritize screening and early detection for individuals at high risk for CKD.* 

Why is screening important?

CKD testing is non-invasive and inexpensive. When properly detected and diagnosed, CKD progression can be slowed or stopped. This could help many patients avoid kidney failure, dialysis, cardiovascular events, and death. 

Each year, more than 100,000 people are diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), and become reliant on dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive. Black and Hispanic patients with CKD have more rapidly progressive disease and are disproportionately represented in the ESKD population. This is likely due to their increased risk for social determinants of health such as poverty, lack of access to healthy food, and poor local air and water quality.

Who Should Be Screened for CKD?

Ensuring that all people at risk for CKD are screened is the first step to closing gaps in care that leave patients from structurally disadvantaged groups behind. The NKF Kidney Disease Outcomes Initiative (KDOQI), the American Diabetes Association (ADA), and the Kidney Diseases Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) recommend screening for individuals with:

• Diabetes, 
• High blood pressure, 
• Cardiovascular disease, 
• Family history of kidney disease, and
• Individuals with a history of acute (short-term) kidney injuries. 

“Ultimately, CKD is a health equity issue,” says Sylvia Rosas, MD, NKF President-elect and Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. “These disparities have less to do with genetics and everything to do with social determinants of health. If we can identify individuals with CKD earlier–at a more manageable stage of their disease–we can slow disease progression and help achieve better outcomes. The USPSTF must act if we ever hope to adequately address inequity in CKD care.”

*National Kidney Foundation. (2022, March 10). NKF Calls on USPSTF to Prioritize CKD Screening Recommendations. Retrieved March 20, 2022, from https://www.kidney.org/news/nkf-calls-uspstf-to-prioritize-screening-recommendations-ckd