CKD-MBD Working Group

The clinical “syndrome” of CKD-MBD has been recognized as an important contributor to morbidity and mortality throughout all stages of CKD. In the past, research centres have traditionally and individually focused on some isolated aspects of this newly recognized entity. Nevertheless, CKD-MBD is a complex interaction of multiple disturbances finally resulting in heterogeneous sequelae.

Large-scale cooperation between centres with a special interest in these matters is of key relevance in order to achieve a global and translational approach to the pathophysiology, prevention and treatment of CKD-MBD.

To this end, the CKD-MBD Working Group aims to work as a common platform for educational, intellectual and personal exchange to facilitate research in the field of Chronic Kidney Disease – Mineral and Bone Disorder.

The ERA acknowledges the high clinical and scientific relevance of the CKD-MBD syndrome, reflected by several key publications in the journals of our society. We hereby summarize the content of several recent important papers, providing a link to their abstracts.

EUROD (European Renal Osteodystrophy) is an initiative of the CKD-MDB Working Group.

Renal osteodystrophy (ROD) is a heterogeneous group of metabolic bone diseases complicating progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD). Bone biomarkers and bone imaging techniques may help to assess bone health and predict fractures in CKD but do have important inherent limitations. By informing on bone turnover and mineralization, a bone biopsy may help to guide prevention and treatment of ROD and its consequences.

According to a survey conducted in 2017 among European nephrologists, bone biopsies are performed rather exceptionally, both for clinical and research purposes. Obviously, clinical research in the field of ROD is threatened by vanishing clinical and pathological expertise, small patient cohorts and scientific isolation.

The European Renal Osteodystrophy (EUROD) initiative was created in 2016 to revitalize bone biopsy as a clinically useful tool in the diagnostic workup of CKD-MBD and to foster research on the epidemiology, implications, and reversibility of ROD. As such, the EUROD initiative aims to increase the understanding of ROD and ultimately to improve outcomes in CKD patients.

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