Q) When should I refer patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) to a nephrology specialist?
Nephrology specialists can be of particular assistance to primary care providers in treating patients who are at different stages of CKD.1 Nephrologists can help determine the etiology of CKD, recommend specific disease-related therapy, suggest treatments to delay disease progression in patients who have not responded to conventional therapies, recognize and treat for disease-related complications, and plan for renal replacement therapy.1
Indications for referral vary across guidelines but there is one commonality: Patients with a severely decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of < 30 mL/min per 1.73 m2 require prompt referral to a nephrologist for comanaged care.1-4 Patients with CKD who have an eGFR at or below this threshold are likely at an advanced stage of disease and are therefore at greater risk for progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD), which requires dialysis.1 Research shows that late referral to nephrology is associated with significantly higher rates of mortality within the first 90 days of dialysis.5 Furthermore, the Renal Physicians Association Clinical Practice Guideline states that patients with advanced CKD (stages 4 and 5) have a greater predisposition for quick progression to ESRD with multiple comorbid conditions and poor outcomes.6
Clinical outcomes can improve when referrals are made before patients with CKD register a low eGFR—but the appropriate threshold (or when to refer patients with a higher eGFR) is less clear.1 Based in part on practice guidelines,2,3,6,7 referral to a nephrologist or clinician with expertise in CKD should be considered for patients with CKD who meet 1 or more of the following criteria:
- Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio > 300 mg/g (34 mg/mmoL), including nephrotic syndrome
- Hematuria that is not secondary to urologic conditions
- Inability to identify a presumed cause of CKD
- eGFR decline of > 30% in less than 4 months without an obvious explanation
- Difficult-to-manage complications, such as anemia requiring erythropoietin therapy or abnormalities of bone and mineral metabolism requiring phosphorus binders or vitamin D preparations
- Serum potassium > 5.5 mEq/L
- Difficult-to-manage drug complications
- Age < 18 y
- Resistant hypertension
- Recurrent or extensive nephrolithiasis
- Confirmed or presumed hereditary kidney disease (eg, polycystic kidney disease, Alport syndrome, or autosomal dominant interstitial kidney disease).1,2,4,7
These criteria can aid clinicians in deciding when a preemptive referral is needed to prevent advanced CKD stages and ESRD in their patients. Also, because patients with CKD can be at high risk for adverse cardiovascular outcomes, referral to cardiology (eg, for patients with complicated cardiovascular disease) should be considered.1 –YTM
Yolanda Thompson-Martin, DNP, RN, ANP-C, FNKF
University Health Physicians/Truman Medical Center, Kansas City, Missouri