Are Your Kidneys Ok? Detect Early to Protect Kidney Health

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Published: Jun 8, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.63555/jnst.2025.278533
Keywords:
screening; case finding; chronic kidney disease; albuminuria; proteinuria; prevention

Main Article Content

Joseph A Vassalotti
Mount Sinai Hospital, Department of Medicine-Renal Medicine, New York, New York, USA; National Kidney Foundation, Inc., New York, New York, USA.
Anna Francis
Queensland Children’s Hospital, Department of Nephrology, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Augusto Cesar Soares Dos Santos Jr
Faculdade Ciencias Medicas de Minas Gerais, Brazil, Hospital das Clinicas, Ebserh, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Ricardo Correa-Rotter
Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico.
Dina Abdellatif
Department of Nephrology, Cairo University Hospital, Cairo, Egypt
Li-Li Hsiao
Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Stefanos Roumeliotis
Second Department of Nephrology, AHEPA University Hospital Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Agnes Haris
Nephrology Department, Péterfy Hospital, Budapest, Hungary.
Latha A. Kumaraswami
Tamilnad Kidney Research (TANKER) Foundation, The International Federation of Kidney Foundations-World Kidney Alliance (IFKF-WKA), Chennai, India.
Siu-Fai Lui
Division of Health System, Policy and Management, Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Alessandro Balducci
Italian Kidney Foundation Italy, Rome, Italy
Vassilios Liakopoulos
Second Department of Nephrology, AHEPA University Hospital Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Abstract

Early identification of kidney disease can protect kidney health, prevent disease progression and related complications, reduce cardiovascular disease risk and decrease mortality. We must ask, “Are your kidneys ok?” using serum creatinine to estimate kidney function and urine albumin to assess for kidney and endothelial damage. Evaluation for causes and risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD) includes testing for diabetes and measurement of blood pressure and body mass index. This World Kidney Day, we assert that case-finding in high-risk populations, or even population-level screening, can decrease the burden of kidney disease globally. Early-stage CKD is asymptomatic and simple to test for, and recent paradigm-shifting CKD treatments such as sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors dramatically improve outcomes and favour the cost-benefit analysis for screening or case-finding programs. Despite this, numerous barriers exist, including resource allocation, healthcare funding, healthcare infrastructure, healthcare professionals, and population awareness of kidney disease. Coordinated efforts by major kidney non-governmental organizations to prioritise the kidney health agenda for governments and aligning early detection efforts with other current programs will maximise efficiencies.

Article Details

How to Cite
A Vassalotti, J., Francis, A., Dos Santos Jr, A. C. S., Correa-Rotter , R., Abdellatif, D., Hsiao, L.-L., Roumeliotis, S., Haris, A., Kumaraswami , L. A. ., Lui, S.-F., Balducci, A., & Liakopoulos, V. (2025). Are Your Kidneys Ok? Detect Early to Protect Kidney Health. Journal of the Nephrology Society of Thailand, 31(2), 94–104. https://doi.org/10.63555/jnst.2025.278533
Issue
Vol. 31 No. 2 (2025): April - June
Section
Special Article
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