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Every patient with pre-dialysis kidney disease should receive statins by current guidelines, reports a new study. 

Individuals with chronic kidney disease have an increased risk for developing heart disease, therefore preventive measures such as maintaining normal cholesterol levels are important. 

Among the major findings:

92% of people with CKD are recommended to receive statin treatment by the ACC/AHA guideline vs. 100% according the KDIGO guideline.

50% of people with CKD who are recommended to receive statins are not taking them.

The new Pooled Cohort risk equations are accurate among people with CKD, indicating that physicians have a valid tool available to estimate heart disease risk for their patients with CKD.

"These results indicate that either guideline can be used to inform the decision to initiate statin therapy for people with CKD who are 50 to 79 years of age," said lead researcher Lisandro Colantonio, MD, MSc, Paul Muntner, PhD (University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health), in the press release. 

"They also show that there is an unmet treatment need and a missed opportunity for lowering heart disease risk among patients with CKD." Dr. Colantonio notes that "The accuracy of the pooled cohort risk equations in people with CKD is important given their high risk for heart disease and stroke. Physicians can use this tool in guiding therapy for patients with CKD."

The study will appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of The American Society of Nephrology.