Establishing the Global Kidney Disease Prevention Network (KDPN): a position statement from the National Kidney Foundation

The Global Kidney Disease Prevention Network is an international public health organization devoted to encouraging and enhancing efforts to increase awareness and recognition of kidney disease, detect it early, and provide treatment to prevent disease progression, improve patient outcomes, and decrease costs. Twenty-six participants from 12 low-, middle-, and high-income countries attended the first meeting, held in Geneva, Switzerland, on September 12-13, 2009. Work groups discussed target populations for chronic kidney disease (CKD) screening, optimal parameters for screening on a public health level, evaluating the impact of early screening programs, and use of screening data to inform health care policy. Of the screening programs discussed, most have targeted populations at high risk of CKD and have included medical history; weight, height, and blood pressure measurements; and blood and urine tests. In screenees, CKD prevalence ranged from 11%-33%. In screenees with CKD, few were aware of the disease, although substantial proportions had been seen by a physician in the previous 6-12 months. At the policy level, prevention of CKD implies prevention and control of risk-factor conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, and others. Given the high prevalence and under-recognition of CKD in different countries, a concerted effort to globally improve primary and secondary CKD prevention appears to be warranted.