About the CKD Initiative

Surveillance and epidemiology

CDC collaborated with the University of California and the University of Michigan to implement the Kidney Disease Surveillance System. The system documents CKD and its risk factors in the US population over time. It also monitors the progress of efforts to prevent, detect, and manage CKD. This includes kidney disease objectives for the Healthy People initiative.

In collaboration with other federal agencies, universities, and nonprofit organizations, CDC publishes Chronic Kidney Disease in the United States. This report provides information to the public, kidney health advocates, and researchers on:

• CKD prevalence
• Health consequences
• CKD risk factors
• Prevention and treatment strategies

CDC supports the CKD Epidemiology in the Military Health System project in collaboration with the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. This project describes the epidemiology of CKD in the military population and assesses risk factors for developing CKD.

With the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, CDC supports the Longitudinal Study of Markers of Kidney Disease. This study investigates using new kidney disease markers to diagnose early kidney function decline.

CDC provides supplementary funding to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to measure creatinine and albumin and to obtain CKD prevalence estimates. CDC also supported updates to the merged dataset between NHANES and the US Renal Data System (USRDS).

Working with partners, CDC uses national datasets like NHANES and the USRDS to conduct epidemiologic studies on CKD and kidney failure. It also conducts studies on risk factors in general and special populations.

Research priorities

Health outcomes and economic studies

CDC collaborates with Providence St. Joseph/UCLA Health to study using electronic health records to identify people with or at risk for CKD. This work will increase understanding of CKD progression and risk prediction (for example, developing heart disease or kidney failure). It will also test and evaluate interventions designed to improve outcomes.

With the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System, CDC supports studies to examine the natural history of CKD. These studies also look at comorbidities and risk factors associated with disease progression.

With CDC's Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, the CKD Initiative supports strategies to prevent bloodstream infections in dialysis patients. This work includes educational tools and materials for patients and providers and supports the Making Dialysis Safer Coalition.

In collaboration with RTI International, CDC assesses the cost effectiveness of screening and treatment interventions for CKD and its complications. These studies will help in policy decision-making and to efficiently use public health resources to prevent and control CKD.

In collaboration with the National Kidney Foundation, CDC conducted the CKD Health Evaluation Risk Information Sharing (CHERISH) project. The project tested the feasibility of CKD screening and detection among high-risk individuals in four states. This study will provide information on how to target this population for CKD screening. It will also help inform how public health officials could implement simpler, more efficient CKD screening programs in the future.