RenalWEB Home Page
Last Updated 04/13/08

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is permanent kidney damage due to injury or disease. More than 20 million Americans-one in nine adults-have chronic kidney disease, and most don't even know it. More than 20 million others are at increased risk.

How long you can live with CKD depends on your age, other health problems, and how involved you become in your care. Some people with early CKD never experience kidney failure. Others reach kidney failure (end-stage renal disease (ESRD)) and live for decades with dialysis or kidney transplants.

Simple tests in a doctor's office can detect chronic kidney disease in its early stages when lifestyle changes and medication can be prescribed to delay or prevent the progression of kidney disease and its complications. Left untreated, chronic kidney disease may ultimately lead to kidney failure and/or heart disease.

There are many risk factors that make having CKD more likely, with the leading risk factors being diabetes, hypertension, and a family history of CKD.

Warning: Changes should never be made in a patient's treatment or care based solely on the information found here.  All patients have unique healthcare concerns and considerations and these must all be taken into account before any changes can be safely made.  All medical and therapeutic decisions must come from a qualified health care provider.  Read RenalWEB's Legal Disclaimer before proceeding.

  NEWS and LATEST ARTICLES
Take Six Steps that Count to Fight Kidney Disease - article from the American Kidney Fund - April 2008
Study Points to New Treatments for Polycystic Kidney Disease - article from HealthDay - April 11, 2008
Use (or misuse) of vitamin D treatment in CKD and dialysis patients - full text editorial comment from Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation - April 9, 2008
Chronic kidney disease should not prevent women from taking the osteoporosis drug raloxifene - article from American Society of Nephrology/EurekAlert! - April 9, 2008
Shift Work Linked To Organ Disease - article from Medical News Today - April 8, 2008
Kidney disease tied to sudden death in women - article from Reuters - April 7, 2008
National Kidney Foundation Introduces Plan to Track Patients in National Screening Program - article from Yahoo!Finance - April 3, 2008
Accuracy of Patients' Reports of Comorbid Disease and Their Association With Mortality in ESRD - abstract from the American Journal of Kidney Diseases - April 3, 2008
Racial Differences in Mortality Among Those with CKD - abstract from the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology - April 2, 2008
Staging of Chronic Kidney Disease: Time for a Course Correction - abstract from the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology - April 2, 2008
The risk of acute renal failure in patients with chronic kidney disease - abstract from Kidney International - April 2, 2008
Experiments Point to New Treatments for PKD - press release from the American Society of Nephrology - April 1, 2008
Health screening for the over-40s - article from BBC News - April 1, 2008
Preventive health care in chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease - full-text review from Nature Clinical Practice Nephrology - April 2008
Preclinical Renal Dysfunction Predates Hypertension Onset - summary from MedPage Today - March 31, 2008
Health screening for the over-40s - article from The Chicago Tribune - March 30, 2008
The implications of aspirin resistance in renal failure - letter from NDT Plus - March 27, 2008
Kidney Disease Hospitalizations Soar - article from WebMD - March 27, 2008
Popular Colonoscopy Prep Solution May Pose Kidney Risks - article from HealthCentral.com - March 27, 2008
Vitamin D Metabolism and Treatment in Chronic Kidney Disease - article from MedScape - March 25, 2008 free registration required)
Statement of Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., Director, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for National Kidney Month - article from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - March 21, 2008
Role of Remission Clinics in the Longitudinal Treatment of CKD - abstract from the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology - March 19, 2008
Uric Acid May Provide Early Clues to Diabetic Kidney Disease - article from the Newswise - March 17, 2008
Residual renal function: the delicate balance betweenbenefits and risks - full text editorial comment from Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation - March 14, 2008
Chronic Sleep Disruption Can Cause Heart and Kidney Disease - article from the Newswise - March 13, 2008
Therapeutic strategies to slow chronic kidney disease progression - full-text Educational Review from Pediatric Nephrology - March 12, 2008
 
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  WEB RESOURCES
Latest Scientific Journal Articles on Chronic Kidney Disease - list compiled by RenalWEB's Journal Watch
AAKP Kidney Beginnings: The Magazine from the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) web site
About Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) from The National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Learning System (KLS) web site
American Diabetes Association web site
Anemia and Chronic Kidney Disease (pdf) from the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) web site
Anemia: Mobilizing Resources for Positive Outcomes (pdf) from the Kidney Learning System web site
Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease (ARPKD) Clinical and Genetic Resource from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease Core Center
Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease (ARPKD) : The Basics 2006 slide show from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease Core Center
Chronic Kidney Disease and Renal Replacement Therapy in ARPKD slide show from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease Core Center
Barriers to successful care for chronic kidney disease (pdf) from BMC Nephrology - October 27, 2005
Better Chronic Disease Care program from California Healthcare Foundation
Chronic Kidney Disease from the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) web site
Chronic Kidney Disease from the Hypertension, Dialysis, & Clinical Nephrology (HDCN) web site
Chronic Kidney Disease from the American Kidney Fund web site
Common Questions from the American Kidney Fund web site
Education and Teaching Resources from the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh Renal Unit web site
2008 ESRD Briefing Book for State and Federal Policy Makers (pdf format requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) - from the ANNA web site
5-Minute Educational/Entertainment Film from Renal Support Network - video from the Renal Support Network/YouTube
Frequently Asked Questions About GFR Estimates - from The National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Learning System (KLS) web site
Hyperphosphatemia and Chronic Kidney Disease - from the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) web site
Identifying Kidney Failure from the Kidney & Urology Foundation of America (KUFA) web site
IgA nephropathy from the About web site
KEY - Kidney Education and You - free kidney education classes from the DaVita web site
Kidney disease from the InteliHealth web site for general health information (subsidiary of Aetna U.S. Healthcare)
Kidney Diseases from the National Institute of Health web site
Kidney Diseases Dictionary from the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) web site
Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP) from the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) web site
Kidney Health from the Kidney & Urology Foundation of America (KUFA) web site
Kidney Learning System (KLS)™ from the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) web site
Life Options Rehabilitation Program Introduction to Chronic Kidney Disease
Living Well with Chronic Kidney Disease (pdf) from the American Kidney Fund (AKF) web site
Medicare for Children with Chronic Kidney Disease from the Medicare web site
National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC) from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) web site
National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP) from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) web site
Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease web site
Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Educational Materials from the PKD Foundation web site
Sodium and PKD - article from the PKD Foundation web site
Take Six Steps that Count to Fight Kidney Disease - article from the American Kidney Fund - April 2008
10 Steps for Protecting Kidney Health from the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) web site
Uremic Toxins: What Are They? An Integrated Overview of Pathobiology and Classification from the Journal of Renal Nutrition
What Is Your Kidney Score? from the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) web site
What You Can Do from the Life Options web site
When Your Child Has a Chronic Kidney Disease from the Nemours Foundation web site
 
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  ESSENTIALS AND CLASSICS
CE Program - Chronic Kidney Disease - What Every Nurse Should Know from the ANNA web site
Core Curriculum: Chronic Kidney Disease - full-text article from the American Journal of Kidney Diseases - January 2007
CE Program - Chronic Kidney Disease - Nursing Guidelines for Patient Education from the ANNA web site
Chronic Kidney Disease and Cardiovascular Disease - Using the ANNA Standards and Practice Guidelines to Improve Care - CE article from the Nephrology Nursing Journal
Chronic Kidney Disease: What Every Nurse Should Know - Module 1: Stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease - Hemodialysis in the Long Term Care Setting from the American Nephrology Nurses Association web site
Chronic Kidney Disease: What Every Nurse Should Know - Module 2: Stage 3 & 4 CKD from the American Nephrology Nurses Association web site
Chronic Kidney Disease: What Every Nurse Should Know - Module 3: Stage 1 & 2 CKD from the American Nephrology Nurses Association web site
Chronic Kidney Disease: What Every Nurse Should Know - Module 6: Chronic Kidney Disease - The Post Transplant Patient from the American Nephrology Nurses Association web site
The Well-Controlled Patient: Looking Beyond the Lab Tests from the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) web site
Indicators for Chronic Disease Surveillance (pdf) - article from Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) - September 10, 2004
Risk Factors for CKD from the Life Options web site
10 Symptoms of Kidney Disease from the Life Options web site
Frequently Asked Questions about CKD from the Life Options web site
Learn the Six Warning Signs of Kidney and Urinary Tract Disease from the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) web site
 
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  BEST CLINICAL PRACTICES
National Service Framework for Renal Services - Part Two: Chronic kidney disease, acute renal failure and end of life care - from the Department of Health (DH)
The National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP) is designed to identify those at risk for kidney disease - from the National Kidney Foundation (NKF)
Chronic Kidney Disease: Developing a Clinical Action Plan from the National Kidney Foundation (NKF)
Testing for Chronic Kidney Disease: A Position Statement From the National Kidney Foundation - full-text article from the American Journal of Kidney Diseases - August 2007
A Team Approach to Managing Bone Disease in CKD Stage 5 (pdf) from the National Kidney Foundation web site
Healthy People 2010 - National Institute of Health (NIH) guidelines for managing Chronic Kidney Disease
VA Targets Kidney Disease - Department of Veterans Affairs clinical guidelines for managing Chronic Kidney Failure
Elevated levels of serum creatinine: recommendations for management and referral - from the Canadian Medical Association - 1999
 
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  K/DOQI™ -  Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative
K/DOQI Clinical Practice Guidelines for Chronic Kidney Disease: Evaluation, Classification, and Stratification
K/DOQI Chronic Kidney Disease Executive Summary
K/DOQI Guidelines: Two clinical guidelines for when to initiate dialysis
Clinical Practice Guidelines and Clinical Practice Recommendations for Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease (pdf format requires Adobe Acrobat reader) 
 

  PUBMED SEARCHES (National Library of Medicine's MEDLINE Database)
Kidney Diseases (General) from MEDLINEplus Health Information
chronic kidney disease Continually Updated!
chronic kidney disease AND risk factors Continually Updated!
MEDLINE / Pubmed Information from the National Library of Medicine
 

  PRODUCTS
 
 

  STATISTICS
Renal Data Extraction and Referencing (RenDER) System - online data querying application accessible through the United States Renal Data System (USRDS)
Kidney and Urologic Diseases Statistics for the United States from the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) web site
Prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease and Associated Risk Factors --- United States, 1999--2004 from Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report - March 2, 2007
Racial Differences in Trends of End-Stage Renal Disease, by Primary Diagnosis --- United States, 1994--2004 from Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report - March 23, 2007
US Government Goals: Chronic Kidney Disease Chapter from the Healthy People 2010 Objectives
statehealthfacts.org - your source for state health data
 
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  UPCOMING EVENTS
NKF Health Screening Schedule - The National Kidney Foundation's (NKF) Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP) is designed to identify those at risk for kidney disease - scroll down to view multiple screening dates and contact phone numbers.
Kidney Beginnings: Live - The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) FREE educational program that educates individuals about the basics of kidney disease and proper kidney care.
 
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  RELATED TOPICS
Dialysis Outcomes and Topics from the RenalWEB web site Continually Updated!
 
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  INPUT / SUGGESTIONS
E-mail to RenalWEB on the Chronic Kidney Disease Page
 
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