CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE IN BRAZIL:
Current Status and Recommendations for Improved Management

Chronic Kidney Disease is a silent and growing problem worldwide affecting 8% to 16% of population, with evidence of kidney damage and/or reduced kidney function in adults. The incidence of CKD reached 700 million cases in the last 3 decades and its identification requires recognition of individual risk and appropriate laboratory testing. Despite attempts to increase knowledge through dissemination of clinical practice guidelines and recommendations for patients or providers, awareness of CKD remains low.

In Brazil, there is an urgent need to overcome the fragmentation and fragility of our public health system (SUS) in the clinical follow-up of individuals by improving primary care quality and health promotion. It is important to increase the awareness of CKD among the public and health-care authorities as well as educational programs for health-care personnel. There is also a need for appropriate treatment of risk factors, especially in low-to-middle income countries, where there is a large gap between the burden of disease of CKD and the provision of adequate healthcare.As a result, in May 2022, the Americas Health Foundation (AHF) conducted a virtual meeting with five Brazilian experts in nephrology to develop a manuscript to assess the landscape of CKD and address existing issues and barriers surrounding the disease in the region and help bridge the gaps in data and knowledge surrounding CKD in LA. The meeting resulted in a manuscript entitled "Chronic Kidney Disease in Brazil: Current Status and Recommendations for Improved Management", which has been published at Karger. Click to read the full article.