Chronic kidney disease: summary of updated NICE guidance

### What you need to know Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is common, estimated to affect 13% of adults (≥16 years old) in England.1 People with CKD have a wide range of experiences, from being asymptomatic at early stages to kidney failure with advanced disease (see table 1 for a classification of CKD stages). The prevalence of categories G3 to G5 (more severe disease) is 5% for all adults, rising to 34% in people aged 75 and over. As kidney dysfunction advances, the mortality risk increases, as does risk of cardiovascular disease, and some comorbidities (such as diabetes and hypertension) become more severe. Most adults with CKD are managed primarily in primary care, but they may need more input from secondary care as the disease progresses. View this table: Table 1 Classification of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in adults, and risk of adverse outcomes by category In August 2021, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published NG203,2 an updated and combined version of three guidelines: “chronic kidney disease in adults: assessment and management,” “chronic kidney disease (stage 4 or 5): management …