Biomarkers to Predict CKD After Acute Kidney Injury: News or Noise?

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common condition affecting approximately 1 in 5 hospitalized patients.1 It is associated with short- and long-term adverse outcomes that include not only in-hospital mortality, but also chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease.2 As a result, the provision of high-quality care for patients with AKI occurs across a continuum that starts in the community, continues into the hospital, and finishes in the post-AKI outpatient setting. However, of the 75%-80% of patients with AKI who survive to hospital discharge, fewer than 1 in 10 will see a nephrologist within the next 3 months.3,4 The KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) AKI guideline advocates continued monitoring of kidney function after AKI, but these recommendations cannot feasibly be completed solely by nephrologists when AKI develops in 1.5% of the general population on a yearly basis.