Optimizing CKD care: Early detection and GDMT improve outcomes
23 Jul 2026
byProf. Desmond Yap; Dr. Winston Fung, Department of Medicine & Therapeutics, Chinese University of Hong Kong; Dr. Paul Lee; Dr. Kay-Cheong Teo; Dr. Raymond Fung
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a noncommunicable disease with increasing importance. Its pathophysiology interacts with cardiovascular (CV) and metabolic diseases, and extends to other neurological and respiratory disorders with clinically significant interplay. Despite its growing global burden, CKD remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. At a symposium in Hong Kong, a multidisciplinary panel highlighted the urgent need for earlier identification of CKD, integrated CV-kidney-metabolic (CKM) care, and timely implementation of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) — including sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i; eg, dapagliflozin) — to slow progression toward kidney failure and reduce CKD-related complications.
