The Importance Of Early Nephrology Referral Of Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease

Late referral of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) to the Nephrologist is associated with higher mortality. We have evaluated the impact of early referral to Nephrologist in a specialized health care service in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. A total of 98 patients were analyzed. Mean age was 60.9±5 years, and the majority of them were female (56.1%). The majority of patients was in stage III of CKD (43.8%), followed by stage II (24.4%). In the re-evaluation, after 6 months of follow-up, 37.9% of patients had renal function improvement and were classified in a new CKD stage. Early Nephrologist referral seems to be adequate and can be associated with lower incidence of complications, need of dialysis and mortality.