Chronic kidney disease
Defining and staging CKD by eGFR and albuminuria, who to test in Australia, the four drugs that slow progression, complications to screen for, and when to refer.
Tier 1Condition
Written with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. For exam study, not clinical decisions. How notes are made
At a glance
- CKD affects about 1 in 10 Australian adults, and over 90% don't know they have it. Most people with CKD die of cardiovascular disease before they reach kidney failure.
- Classify by cause, GFR category (G1 to G5) and albuminuria category (A1 to A3). Albuminuria predicts both progression and cardiovascular events.
- Test those at risk with a Kidney Health Check: eGFR, urine ACR and BP.
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Sources
- Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Management in Primary Care, 5th editionAU/NZKidney Health Australia, 2024
- KDIGO 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Chronic Kidney Disease. Kidney International 2024;105(4S):S117-S314Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes, 2024 (current; KDIGO 2027 CKD Guideline on Medications Management draft public review closed 4 November 2026, being revised)
- KDIGO 2026 Clinical Practice Guideline for Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease. Kidney International 2026;109(1S):S1-S99Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes, 2026
- KDIGO 2021 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Blood Pressure in Chronic Kidney DiseaseKidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes, 2021
- Use of intravenous gadolinium-based contrast media in patients with kidney disease: consensus statements from the American College of Radiology and the National Kidney Foundation (Weinreb JC et al. Radiology 2021;298:28-35)American College of Radiology and National Kidney Foundation, 2021
- EMPA-KIDNEY Collaborative Group. Empagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease. N Engl J Med 2023;388:117-27New England Journal of Medicine, 2023
- Heerspink HJL et al. Dapagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease (DAPA-CKD). N Engl J Med 2020;383:1436-46New England Journal of Medicine, 2020
- Tangri N et al. Multinational assessment of accuracy of equations for predicting risk of kidney failure. JAMA 2016;315:164-74JAMA, 2016
- 2023 Australian guideline for assessing and managing cardiovascular disease riskAU/NZAustralian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance, 2023
- Diabex (metformin hydrochloride) Australian product informationAU/NZViatris (via medsinfo), August 2026
- Last updated
- 14 November 2026
What changed
- 14 November 2026 Turnstile bot check on sign-in and signed-out feedback