Europe intensifies screening for chronic kidney disease

Health authorities and medical societies in Europe are intensifying efforts to improve the early detection of chronic kidney disease (CKD). An estimated 100 million people in Europe are affected by CKD, yet many cases remain undiagnosed. Notably, approximately 50% of patients suffering from heart failure also have CKD, which often goes undetected.

New clinical guidelines released by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Renal Association (ERA) recommend mandatory screening for all cardiovascular patients. Experts emphasize that measuring creatinine levels alone is insufficient; instead, clinicians should routinely determine the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) via blood tests and the albumin-creatinine ratio (uACR) via urine tests to ensure accurate diagnosis and proper medication dosing.

In Germany, an estimated 8 million people live with chronic kidney weakness. Data from the NAKO study, which analyzed 195,000 samples, revealed that while 18.4% of adults showed abnormal values, only 5% were aware of their condition. Beyond the health implications, CKD imposes a significant economic burden; in Germany, costs were estimated at over 24 billion euros in 2020, representing roughly 5% of total health expenditures.