NICE Guidelines on CKD communications

Chronic Kidney disease affects more than 1 in 10 people. It is a potentially dangerous condition. If kidney disease is not recognised people with the condition may have up to 35 times higher risk of premature death. Kidney disease is a silent killer. People with kidney disease have few or no symptoms until kidney function is severely impaired. It is, however, very easy to detect kidney disease in the early stages – a simple blood test and a urine test for albumin/protein is all that is needed. We know the conditions that can damage the kidneys for example high blood pressure, diabetes or a family history of kidney disease. And the good thing is that we have treatments that can delay or prevent further kidney damage. This NICE guideline on kidney disease will help healthcare professionals identify people in the early stages who can then be treated – it thus has the potential to delay progression of disease and extend the lives of thousands of people.