A critique of the UK NICE guidance for the detection and management of individuals with chronic kidney disease.

The increasing global prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) has significant public health and economic implications. The recently published UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines for the early identification and management of CKD provide a framework of disease management for both primary and secondary care with the stated aim of reducing the progression of CKD and the associated risk of cardiovascular death. Identification of at-risk individuals with proteinuria and inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system are the cornerstones of this strategy. However, the vast majority of patients with CKD will not develop ESRD and it is far from clear whether the NICE recommendations will reduce either ESRD or cardiovascular death associated with CKD.