KDIGO 2026 Clinical Practice Guideline - Executive Summary - Management of Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

Oct 5, 2026

Uploaded by sagouaw

KDIGO 2026 Clinical Practice Guideline executive summary presents updated recommendations for diagnosing and managing anemia in chronic kidney disease (CKD). The guideline scope covers evaluation of anemia, treatment of iron deficiency and anemia with iron therapy, and use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents and hypoxia-inducible factor–prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors. It also addresses red blood cell transfusions. Recommendations are developed through an explicit evidence review process using systematic reviews and apply the GRADE approach for certainty and strength. Practice points, limitations, research needs, and implications for policy and payment are included for healthcare providers, patients, and stakeholders.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Overview

Scope and target users

Evidence-based recommendation framework

K DI GO executive conclusions [www.kidney-international.org](www.kidney-international.org) Executive Summary of the KDIGO 2026 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Jodie L. Babitt 1, Jeffrey S. Berns2, Biykem Bozkurt3, Rebecca S. Cheung Khedairy4, Yarieli Cuevas5, Emmanuel E. Effa6, Michele F. Eisenga7, Steven Fishbane8,9, Yelena Z. Ginzburg 10, Volker H. Haase 11, 12, S. Susan Hedayati 13, 14, Siah Kim 15, Jos´e A. Moura-Neto 16, Evi V. Nagler 17, Patrick Rossignol 18, 19, Manisha Sahay20, Tetsuhiro Tanaka21, Angela Yee-Moon Wang22,23, David C. Wheeler24, Karen A. Robinson25, Lisa M. Wilson25, Renee F. Wilson25, Amy Earley26, Elie A. Akl27,28 and Marcello Tonelli29 1Department of Nephrology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; 2Renal Electrolyte and Hypertension Division, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; 3 Winters Center for Heart Failure, Cardiology Section, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA; 4Corporate and Foundation Relations, University of Washington Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA; 5Kidney Research Institute, Louisville, Kentucky, USA; 6Department of Internal Medicine, University of Calabar, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria; 7Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands; 8Department of Medicine, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra, Great Neck, New York, USA; 9Department of Nephrology, Northwell Health, Great Neck, New York, USA; 10Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, New York, USA; 11Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA; 12 Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA; 13Division of Nephrology, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York, USA; 14Division of Nephrology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA; 15Department of Medicine, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; 16Department of Medicine, Bahiana School of Medicine and Public Health, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil; 17Renal Division, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium; 18Université de Lorraine, INSERM, Centre d’Investigations Cliniques-Plurithématique 1433, INSERM Unit 1116, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire (CHRU) de Nancy, and F-CRIN INI-CRCT, Nancy, France; 19Medical specialties and nephrology departments, Princess Grace Hospital, Monaco Private Hemodialysis Centre, and Monaco Clinical Research Infrastructure Network (M-CRIN), Monaco; 20Department of Nephrology, Osmania Medical College and Hospital, Hyderabad, Telangana, India; 21Department of Nephrology, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan; 22Department of Renal Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore; 23Duke– National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore; 24Department of Renal Medicine, University College London, London, United Kingdom; 25The Johns Hopkins University Evidence-Based Practice Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; 26KDIGO, Brussels, Belgium; 27Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon; 28Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; and 29Department of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada The Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) 2026 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) represents an update to the guideline published in 2012 . Its scope includes diagnosis and evaluation of anemia; use of iron to treat iron deﬁciency and anemia in CKD; use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents and hypoxia-inducible factor–prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors to

FAQs

What topics are covered in the KDIGO 2026 anemia guideline executive summary?

It covers diagnosis and evaluation of anemia in CKD, treatment of iron deficiency and anemia with iron, use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents and HIF–prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors, and use of red blood cell transfusions.

How were the guideline recommendations developed?

The guideline followed an explicit process of evidence review and appraisal based on systematic reviews. Certainty of evidence and strength of recommendations use the GRADE approach.

What additional elements beyond recommendations are included?

The summary includes practice points that provide clinical advice not supported by a systematic review, discusses limitations of evidence, and provides research recommendations and implications for policy and payment.

Oct 5, 2026

Uploaded by sagouaw