Indian Chronic Kidney Disease Study

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has become a growing public health problem worldwide with a serious socioeconomic impact, affecting even developing countries like India. CKD increases patient morbidity and mortality mainly due to progression to end-stage renal disease and a disproportionate increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) with an approximate 30—fold increase in CVD mortality. As there are no large longitudinal studies comparing the differences in racially, geographically, and, potentially, genetically different populations and none in individuals of Indian origin and costs of dialysis or kidney transplantation are prohibitively high in India; it is critical to identify and intervene early in the course of CKD. Indian Chronic Kidney Disease (ICKD) study aims to establish a large cohort of Indian patients with moderate kidney failure (40-60% reduction in kidney function) who will be prospectively followed for a minimum of five years. This will help in development of new strategies for early diagnosis, risk stratification for more effective implementation of existing therapies, and identification of new therapeutic targets to reduce the morbidity burden of CKD.