Chronic Kidney Disease is a major public health problem. Adverse outcomes of CKD can be prevented through early detection and treatment. Earlier stages of CKD can be detected through routine laboratory measurements.

• The presence of CKD should be established, based on presence of kidney damage and level of kidney function (glomerular filtration rate [GFR]), irrespective of diagnosis.


• Among patients with CKD, the stage of disease should be assigned based on the level of kidney function, irrespective of diagnosis, according to the K/DOQI CKD classification.

Defining stages of CKD requires "categorization" of continuous measures of kidney function, and the "cut–off levels" between stages are inherently arbitrary. Nonetheless, staging of CKD will facilitate application of clinical practice guidelines, clinical performance measures, and quality improvement efforts to the evaluation, and management of Chronic Kidney Disease.