title: A new initiative in nephrology: 'Kidney disease: improving global outcomes'.
abstract: The burden of kidney disease: Improving global outcomes. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a worldwide public health problem with an increasing incidence and prevalence of patients requiring replacement therapy. There is an even higher prevalence of patients in earlier stages of CKD, with adverse outcomes such as kidney failure, cardiovascular disease, and premature death. Patients at earlier stages of CKD can be detected through laboratory testing and their treatment is effective in slowing the progression to kidney failure and reducing cardiovascular events. The evidence-based care of these patients are universal and independent of their geographic location. This paper describes the need to develop a uniform and global public health approach to the worldwide epidemic of CKD. It is to this end that a new initiative Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes' has been established. Some current and future activities of this initiative are described. They include among others modification of the classification of CKD, the development of guidelines on hepatitis C, the organisation of consensus conferences like on Renal Osteodystrophy, and the creation of a website allowing the comparison of the five main English language clinical practice guidelines in kidney disease worldwide.
authors.affiliation: University Hospital of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lameire
authors.forename: Garabed
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Eknoyan
authors.forename: Rashad
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Barsoum
authors.forename: Kai-Uwe
authors.initials: KU
authors.lastname: Eckardt
authors.forename: Adeera
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Locatelli
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: MacLeod
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vanholder
authors.forename: Rowan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Haiyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000145:classification / Q000628:therapy*; D009398:Nephrology / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011634:Public Health; D016896:Treatment Outcome