Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) is adapting its guideline process to keep pace with rapidly evolving kidney therapies and evidence. Its clinical practice guidelines are developed by multidisciplinary international work groups that include healthcare professionals and patient partners, supported by systematic evidence reviews and the GRADE framework. Recommendations are graded, while practice points represent expert consensus. Rather than waiting years to completely rewrite guidelines, KDIGO has increasingly adopted focused, modular updates when practice-changing evidence emerges. Recent examples include separate updates for lupus nephritis and ANCA-associated vasculitis in 2024 and nephrotic syndrome in children and IgA nephropathy/IgA vasculitis in 2025. Of 17 current KDIGO guidelines, 7 have undergone at least one comprehensive update, and the 2024 CKD guideline alone has generated more than 530,000 full-text downloads.

KDIGO also extends beyond formal guidelines to help clinicians navigate areas where evidence is still emerging. Its Controversies Conferences bring together international clinicians, researchers, and patient partners to identify knowledge gaps and research priorities without issuing formal practice recommendations, while implementation resources translate established guidance into everyday care. These include guideline digests, slide sets, infographics, webinars, podcasts, expert interviews, regional summits, and the newer KDIGO GEMs virtual education program, which has addressed topics including lupus nephritis, ANCA-associated vasculitis, IgA nephropathy, and complement-mediated kidney disease. The evolving KDIGO model provides both rigorously developed recommendations and more timely educational tools designed to help move new evidence into clinical practice.

Reference: Grams ME, Jadoul M. Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO): navigating a rapidly changing landscape. Kidney Int. 2026 Jun;109(6):1056-1061. doi: 10.1016/j.kint.2025.12.028. Epub 2026 Mar 4. PMID: 41778929.

Link: https://www.kidney-international.org/article/S0085-2538(26)00012-8/fulltext