Executive Summary of the KDIGO 2026 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

The Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) 2026 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) represents an update to the guideline published in 2012. Its scope includes diagnosis and evaluation of anemia; use of iron to treat iron deficiency and anemia in CKD; use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents and hypoxia-inducible factor-prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors to treat anemia in CKD; and red blood cell transfusions to treat anemia in CKD. The guideline has been developed with patient partners, healthcare providers, and researchers around the world, with the goal to generate a useful resource for healthcare providers and patients by providing actionable recommendations. The development of this guideline followed an explicit process of evidence review and appraisal based on systematic reviews. The certainty of evidence and strength of recommendations follows the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. The guideline also provides practice points that provide clinical advice but are not supported by a systematic review. Limitations of the evidence are discussed. Research recommendations to address gaps in knowledge, and implications for policy and payment, are provided. The guideline targets a broad audience of healthcare providers, affected individuals, and stakeholders involved in the various aspects of anemia and CKD care.