Updated guidelines for chronic kidney disease management released

The Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) organization has released new guidelines for managing chronic kidney disease (CKD). These updated recommendations were published in a summary online on March 11, 2025, in the Annals of Internal Medicine. This guideline focuses on CKD evaluation and treatment for both children and adults who are not on kidney replacement therapy. The document was prepared by Dr. Magdalena Madero and her team. They reviewed the evidence with an independent group, grading the quality of the information. The guideline presents 28 strong recommendations and 141 additional points based on expert opinion. Key recommendations include using cystatin C for better assessment of kidney function. It also suggests implementing point-of-care testing in remote areas where lab access is limited. Additionally, the guidelines recommend an individualized risk-based approach to predict kidney failure and the use of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors for patients with CKD, regardless of diabetes status. For adults over 50 and those with CKD, statins are also advised. The authors state that the KDIGO 2024 guideline aims to help healthcare providers identify, evaluate, and manage CKD more effectively. They highlight the advantages of using cystatin C for assessing kidney function more accurately, especially in cases where traditional methods may not be reliable.