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The impact of recent guidelines for early detection and prevention of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on patient awareness of disease and factors that might be associated with awareness have not been well described.

Awareness rates were assessed in 2992 adults (age, ≥20 years) with CKD stages 1 to 4 from a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004). Awareness of CKD was defined by an answer of yes to “Have you ever been told you have weak or failing kidneys?” Potential predictors of awareness included demographics, access to care, and clinical and lifestyle factors, which were assessed by standardized interviewer-administered questionnaires and physical examinations. We examined independent associations of patient characteristics with awareness in those with CKD stage 3 (n = 1314) over 6 years using …