Abstract
To the Editor:Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is present inmore than 12% of Americans aged 65 and older.1In theguidelines from the National Kidney Foundation (NKF)Kidney Disease Outcome Quality Initiative, age 60 andolder is indeed considered to be a major risk factor forCKD.2Among various complications, CKD appears to in-dependently predict mortality and cardiovascular disease.3–5Readily available formulas for calculating glomerular fil-tration rates (GFRs), along with a staging system and CKDstage-dependent therapeutic guidelines, have simplified theability to identify CKD, categorize its severity, and imple-ment appropriate treatment. Nevertheless, several reportssuggest that CKD is underdiagnosed and undertreated.1,2,6The purpose of this study was to explore how frequentlyphysicians of elderly nursing home residents, who haveCKD based on NKF criteria, address this diagnosis.