Chronic Kidney Disease Goes Undetected in Those Most at Risk
Chronic kidney disease is significantly under-diagnosed in a population that's most at risk–America's 26 million diabetics–according to new research conducted by the National Kidney Foundation which was presented at a recent meeting hosted by the American Diabetes Association.
“More than 26 million Americans already have chronic kidney disease which represents about 10–15% of the U.S. population. Millions more are at risk due to diabetes which is the leading cause of kidney disease,” said Lynda Szczech, MD, MSCE, Principal Investigator and President of the National Kidney Foundation.
In this study, called Awareness, Detection and Drug Therapy in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Chronic Kidney Disease (ADD-CKD), the National Kidney Foundation assessed the presence and severity of chronic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes who were being treated for diabetes within the primary care setting.
Of the 9,307 patients studied, more than half of the patients had chronic kidney disease based on the results of two simple tests for CKD: a urinalysis to detect the presence of large amounts of protein in the urine (albuminuria) and a blood test to measure of how well the kidneys are functioning (estimated GFR). While over 5,000 patients had chronic kidney disease, only 12% of patients were identified by their providers.
“Primary care clinicians are our first line of defense against one of the world's top killers, yet they have multiple competing priorities and high practice demands. We need clearer and simpler messages for both primary care clinicians and patients regarding the importance of screening for chronic kidney disease in people with diabetes. Early detection and treatment of kidney disease in these patients can help slow progression, reduce cardiovascular events and delay time to kidney failure,” said Szczech.
The ADD-CKD study is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company.