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New heart guidelines recommend kidney screening with two simple tests
The heart and kidneys help each other keep the body working properly.
If one organ has problems, the other can also be affected.
New 2026 guidelines recommend that people with heart disease have two kidney tests when they are diagnosed.
One test is a blood test that estimates how well the kidneys filter blood.
The other is a urine test that looks for a protein called albumin.
Kidney problems can begin without making someone feel sick.
Finding them early may help doctors protect both the heart and kidneys.
An abnormal result does not always mean kidney failure, but it should be discussed with a health professional.
The 2026 European Society of Cardiology guidelines recommend chronic kidney disease screening for cardiovascular disease patients at diagnosis.
Screening uses eGFR from a blood creatinine test and a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio.
Kidney disease can be silent, while impaired heart function and kidney damage can worsen each other.
Albumin in urine may indicate kidney damage and higher cardiovascular risk, even when kidney function appears normal.
Early detection may help doctors adjust medicines and manage blood pressure, diabetes and other risks more effectively.
- Who
- Patients with cardiovascular disease, cardiologists and nephrologists are the main groups involved.
- What
- The European Society of Cardiology recommends screening cardiovascular disease patients for chronic kidney disease using eGFR and UACR tests.
- Where
- The guidelines are European; the article also discusses their relevance to cardiac care in India.
- When
- The recommendation appears in the ESC’s 2026 guidelines and applies at cardiovascular disease diagnosis.
- Why
- Chronic kidney disease can be silent, increase cardiovascular risk and worsen heart disease, while heart disease can also damage kidney function.
Key facts
- Guideline issuer
- European Society of Cardiology, in collaboration with the European Renal Association
- Recommended timing
- At diagnosis of cardiovascular disease
- Blood test
- Estimated glomerular filtration rate, calculated from blood creatinine
- Urine test
- Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio, which can detect albumin leakage
- Main concern
- Early chronic kidney disease often causes no obvious symptoms
- Potential treatment implications
- Kidney findings may influence the use or dosing of cardiovascular medicines, including RAS inhibitors and SGLT2 inhibitors
- Care approach
- The guidelines call for coordination between cardiologists and nephrologists
Quotes
Dr Debdatta Majumdar
Senior Consultant in Interventional Cardiology at Narayana RN Tagore Hospital, Kolkata.
“This is the first-ever ESC Guidelines on managing cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease, developed with the European Renal Association. It formalises routine screening – testing estimated glomerular filtration rate from blood creatinine plus urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio in every CVD patient at diagnosis.”
indianexpress.com
“If the heart is weak, the kidneys may receive less blood and struggle to function properly.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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