[Screening for chronic kidney disease in children]

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) in children has an epidemiology that differs significantly from that in adults. Its main causes vary with age with a predominance of congenital anomalies of the kidney and the urinary tract. Early diagnosis is essential to prevent complications affecting growth, cognition, and long-term cardiovascular health, and to avoid, or at least to slow, progression to end-stage renal disease. Specific clinical contexts warrant targeted screening: family history, perinatal abnormalities, at-risk conditions, or suggestive clinical signs. Screening relies on simple tools such as growth charts, dipstick urinalysis, blood pressure measurement, glomerular filtration rate estimation, and renal ultrasound. The general practitioner plays a key role in the early detection of CKD, and in ensuring early referral to pediatric nephrology, helping to preserve nephron mass and improve long-term outcomes.