Renal Association Clinical Practice Guideline on Nutrition in CKD

Malnutrition in chronic kidney disease (CKD) is common but is often undiagnosed. This evidencebased clinical practice guideline summarises the main interventions that may be recommended in the prevention and management of undernutrition in this patient population. Undernutrition is a more frequent finding in established renal failure (ERF) (present in 30–40% of patients) [1] and is associated with reduced patient survival. The guideline authors search Medline every 2 months to evaluate the nutrition literature and last performed a search of the literature on nutrition and renal disease on 1st April 2010. The authors also review reference lists from key original and review articles and are familiar with the literature pertaining to nutrition and renal disease. The existing North American (K-DOQI 2000) and European guidelines on the assessment of nutrition in renal patients [2, 3] were reviewed and primary sources examined as appropriate. This document offers a reinterpretation and update of those guidelines and incorporates recent UK Department of Health initiatives on nutritional screening [4].