ESC issues first joint heart-kidney disease guidelines at 2026 Congress

September 5, 2026 at 05:00 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

The European Society of Cardiology issued its first guidelines for managing cardiovascular disease alongside chronic kidney disease at ESC Congress 2026. The recommendations, developed with the European Renal Association, target an estimated 100 million Europeans with CKD. They introduce a 'STAMP on CKD' strategy to screen, triage, and treat patients earlier.

Key Facts

The European Society of Cardiology published the guidelines in the European Heart Journal and presented them at ESC Congress 2026.
An estimated 100 million people across Europe have chronic kidney disease.
The guidelines recommend testing every patient with cardiovascular disease for CKD at the time of CVD diagnosis.
The Task Force created the 'STAMP on CKD' acronym: Screen, Triage, Address CKD Risk, Modify CVD management and Plan health services.
Early use of RAS inhibitors, SGLT2 inhibitors, and statin-based therapy is recommended to slow CKD progression and lower cardiovascular events.

Guideline Development

The European Society of Cardiology developed the guidelines in partnership with the European Renal Association. Task Force Chair Associate Professor Kevin Damman from University Medical Centre Groningen, Netherlands, led the effort. Task Force Chair Professor William Herrington from the University of Oxford, UK, emphasized the need for increased kidney function and urine albumin testing in patients with CVD. The recommendations were published in the European Heart Journal.

STAMP on CKD Strategy

The strategy begins with screening every patient with cardiovascular disease for CKD at the time of CVD diagnosis. Screening involves blood and urine testing, specifically estimated glomerular filtration rate from blood creatinine plus urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio. Triage focuses on determining the likelihood of kidney failure and evaluating cardiovascular risk using validated risk scoring tools that incorporate kidney function. Addressing risk involves introducing proven, cost-effective therapies early to slow CKD progression and lower cardiovascular events. Early use of RAS inhibitors, SGLT2 inhibitors, and statin-based therapy is particularly important and effective, according to Associate Professor Damman.