Global Strategies for Chronic Kidney Disease Management
Summary
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) represents a growing public health challenge, driven by ageing populations and the global rise in diabetes and hypertension. Effective management requires a continuum of care encompassing prevention, early detection, risk-factor control and person-centred support. Strategies span public health campaigns to promote healthy lifestyles, screening of high-risk groups in primary care settings and integration of electronic health records for timely referral to nephrology services. Health-system strengthening is essential: equitable financing models must ensure universal access to essential diagnostics, medications and kidney replacement therapies (KRT). Workforce development programmes are needed to train nephrologists, nurses and community health workers, with task-shifting approaches in resource-limited settings. Multimodal therapy pathways link conservative care, dialysis modalities and transplantation according to patient preferences and local infrastructure. Policy frameworks that align with Universal Health Coverage and sustainable development goals foster multisectoral governance, advocacy and public–private partnerships to secure supply chains and affordable pricing for medicines and consumables. Robust health information systems and disease registries enable monitoring of outcomes, benchmarking of service performance and iterative refinement of national action plans. Cross-national collaborations facilitate research translation, capacity building and sharing of best practices. Tailored, context-sensitive strategies that combine local innovation with global expertise are critical to reduce inequities and improve outcomes for people living with CKD worldwide.
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Global Strategies for Chronic Kidney Disease Management publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in global strategies for chronic kidney disease management across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Chronic kidney disease (CKD): Progressive deterioration of renal function over months or years.
End-stage kidney disease (ESKD): Final stage of CKD requiring dialysis or transplantation.
Kidney replacement therapy (KRT): Treatments that replicate kidney function, including dialysis and transplantation.
Glomerular filtration rate (GFR): Measure of the volume of fluid filtered by the kidneys per unit time.
Conservative care: Non-dialytic management of advanced CKD focusing on symptom control and quality of life.
Dialysis: Medical procedure for blood purification when kidneys fail, including haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.
References
- Global kidney health priorities—perspectives from the ISN-GKHA. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation (2024).
- The global burden of kidney disease and the sustainable development goals. Bulletin of the World Health Organization (2018).
- Increasing access to integrated ESKD care as part of universal health coverage. Kidney International (2019).
- Global nephrology workforce: gaps and opportunities toward a sustainable kidney care system. Kidney International Supplements (2018).
- Global coverage of health information systems for kidney disease: availability, challenges, and opportunities for development. Kidney International Supplements (2018).
- A global overview of renal registries: a systematic review. BMC Nephrology (2015).
- Global overview of health systems oversight and financing for kidney care. Kidney International Supplements (2018).
- Global access of patients with kidney disease to health technologies and medications: findings from the Global Kidney Health Atlas project. Kidney International Supplements (2018).
- Global case studies for chronic kidney disease/end-stage kidney disease care. Kidney International Supplements (2020).
- Access to CKD Care in Rural Communities of India: a qualitative study exploring the barriers and potential facilitators. BMC Nephrology (2020).
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