Diagnosis and Treatment of Diabetic Kidney Disease

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the most common cause of chronic kidney disease in the United States. In the last several years, there have been several new developments in the field of the DKD. In 2007, the National Kidney Foundation and Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative released clinical practice guidelines that included new definitions and summarized diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for DKD. The results of several recent randomized controlled trials provided novel insights regarding effects of glycemic and lipid control on vascular and renal outcomes in patients with diabetes. Additionally, the findings of the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes- Blood Pressure trial played a critical role in the revision of blood pressure target guidelines in patients with diabetes. The goal of this review article is to summarize recent updates and recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of DKD.