Primary care plays an essential role in identifying CKD, monitoring and slowing disease progression, and providing timely referral, when indicated, to nephrology.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is estimated to affect more than 10% of the general population, a proportion that eclipses the availability of nephrologists to manage the condition and its consequences. Primary care clinicians often are the first to suspect or identify CKD and can play an essential role in preventing or slowing disease progression, by initiating treatment and also providing timely referral, when indicated, to nephrology. The short slide show above offers an at-a-glance review of some basics.