Renal Failure isn't just a nephrologist problem

Abstract In the collective perception, uremic patients are often identified as those undergoing dialysis. In reality, however, dialysis patients represent only a small fraction of the total uremic population. Conservative estimates indicate that one in ten individuals in the industrialized world has some degree of renal dysfunction, meaning that approximately 700 million people are affected (1). These figures have rapidly made Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)—the correct term for renal failure—a global public health issue, owing both to its unsustainable economic burden for healthcare systems and its high mortality rate, estimated at 2.6 million deaths in 2017 (2). To mitigate the impact of this true epidemic, new strategies must prioritize early detection and prevention. The first step, however, is conceptual: CKD should no longer be regarded as an exclusively nephrological disorder but as a multisystem condition requiring the attention of internists, cardiologists, diabetologists, and general practitioners alike.