New European Guidelines Target the Heart-Kidney Disease Cycle

The European Society of Cardiology, or ESC, has issued its first guidelines dedicated to managing cardiovascular disease alongside chronic kidney disease, developed in partnership with the European Renal Association. The recommendations were published in the European Heart Journal and presented at ESC Congress 2026.

Chronic kidney disease, or CKD, is diagnosed when abnormalities in kidney structure or function persist for at least three months and affect a person's health. An estimated 100 million people across Europe have CKD, and the condition substantially raises their risk of cardiovascular disease, or CVD. "CKD can accelerate CVD and vice versa, resulting in cardiovascular events and the need for dialysis much earlier in life," said task force chair Kevin Damman of University Medical Centre Groningen in the Netherlands. He said several simple treatments can now substantially lower the risk of both conditions.

The guidelines are organized around an approach the task force calls STAMP: Screen every patient with CVD for CKD using blood and urine tests; triage patients by their risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events using validated scoring tools; address CKD risk early with proven, cost-effective drugs; modify cardiovascular treatment where reduced kidney function affects how the body clears medicines; and plan health services so high-risk patients reach both cardiologists and nephrologists in time.

"Early use of drugs called RAS inhibitors and SGLT2 inhibitors alongside statin-based therapy are particularly important and effective," Damman said. Task force chair William Herrington of the University of Oxford said many CKD patients are treated by cardiologists, and the new guidelines aim to increase the use of kidney function and urine albumin testing in people with cardiovascular disease so more at-risk patients can be identified and treated appropriately.

Herrington said active communication between cardiology and nephrology specialists, along with engaging patients and their families in care decisions, helps ensure patients' priorities are met. A patient version of the guidelines has also been developed to help people better understand their condition.