title: The primary care physician/nephrologist partnership in treating chronic kidney disease.
abstract: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) continues to be an ever-increasing health problem in the United States and elsewhere. Diabetes mellitus and hypertension remain the primary causes, and much of this is related to increased rates of obesity. Studies have demonstrated that early referral to a nephrologist can be life-saving and can also markedly improve quality of life. Besides recommending treatments for CKD, early referral can assist in medication management and in minimizing exposure to potential nephrotoxins. In patients who progress to end-stage renal disease, having an established patient-PCP-nephrologist relationship can ease the transition to renal replacement therapy or transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Ohio University of Osteopathic Medicine, 3433 Alger Rd., Athens, OH, USA; Private Practice, Columbus Neighborhood Health Center, 3433 Agler Rd., Suite 2800, Columbus, OH 43219, USA. Electronic address: mdb51@earthlink.net.
authors.forename: Mark D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Baldwin
mesh_terms: D001786:Blood Glucose; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006403:Hematologic Tests; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D009398:Nephrology; D058007:Physicians, Primary Care; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D051436:Renal Insufficiency, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016482:Urinalysis
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D008055:Lipids
keywords: Albuminuria; CKD (chronic kidney disease); Dialysis; Hyperparathyroidism; Hypertension; Proteinuria; Referral; Remnant kidney