Kidney disease
The UK NSC policy on kidney disease screening in adults
More Information
The kidneys filter toxins from our blood, and help to regulate blood flow around our bodies. In kidney disease, damage to the kidneys means they don't perform these functions properly. This causes a wide range of symptoms.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a long-term condition where the kidneys do not work as well as normal. Glomerulonephritis is caused when tiny structures inside the kidney, called glomeruli, become diseased
» Read more about chronic kidney disease on NHS Choices
» Read more about glomerulonephritis on NHS Choices.
Notes
This policy was created in April 2011 and combines the UK NSC policies on chronic kidney disease and glomerulonephritis.
Policy Position
A national screening programme for kidney disease is not recommended.
This policy was reviewed in Apr 2011 but no significant changes were made. It is due to be considered again in 2014/15, or earlier if significant new evidence emerges.
Evidence Supporting the Policy
The last review concluded that there has been a strong focus on early identification of chronic kidney disease (CKD) including glomerulonephritis over the past few years. However, there are still significant aspects of the condition and its management with little robust evidence to indicate that a screening programme would be effective. Evidence from screening programmes and studies from around the world indicate that a general population based screening programme to afford the early detection of CKD which includes glomerulonephritis is not cost or clinically effective.
The review stated that there have been no randomised controlled trials assessing the effectiveness of a screening programme in reducing the mortality and morbidity from glomerulonephritis. The treatments for glomerulonephritis show some effectiveness but the evidence is limited and more effective treatments need to be developed and tested. There is no direct evidence of acceptability of the test or follow up investigations to the UK population.
Stakeholders
The British Association For Paediatric Nephrology
British Renal Society
The Kidney Alliance
Kidney Research UK
The Renal Association
Royal College of Physicians
Stuart Strange Vasculitis Trust
UK National Kidney Federation
The stakeholder groups will be involved when the policy is next reviewed. If you think your organisation should be added, please contact us.
Related documents
Glomerulonephritis - external review against UK NSC criteria (2011) (PDF document, 276KB, 11/04/11)Glomerulonephritis screening policy review summary (PDF document, 88KB, 11/04/11)
