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The Chronic Kidney Disease Controversy: How Expanding Definitions Care Unnecessarily Labelling Many People As Diseased, Ray Moynihan, Richard Glassock, Jenny A. Doust

Jenny Doust

Extract: In 2002 the United States Kidney Foundation launched a novel framework for defining and classifying chronic kidney disease. The framework was widely embraced because it imposed order in a chaotic landscape characterised by a variety of names, including renal insufficiency, renal impairment, and renal failure. It has had an appreciable effect on clinical care worldwide through guidelines, pay for performance measures, and sparked debate on the merits of screening programmes. However, it has also generated considerable controversy. We examine the rationale for the framework, the varying responses and controversies it has provoked, and provide advice for clinicians who are …