HIV-positive individuals are at increased risk for both acute and chronic kidney disease (CKD). The classic kidney disease arising from HIV infection, HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN), is less common with the widespread use of early antiretroviral therapy; however, there has been a simultaneous increase in the prevalence of non-collapsing FSGS. There is also growing evidence that HIV-positive individuals are at risk for immune-complex kidney diseases and more rapid progression of comorbid CKD. In addition, patients with HIV infection are exposed to life-long antiretroviral therapy, with the potential to cause or exacerbate kidney injury.

The KDIGO Controversies Conference on HIV-Related Kidney Diseases gathered together a multidisciplinary, international panel of clinical and scientific experts to identify and discuss key issues relevant to the optimal diagnosis and management of HIV-related kidney diseases. The specific goals of this KDIGO conference were to define the pathology of HIV-related kidney disease; describe the role of genetics in the natural history, diagnosis, and treatment of HIV-associated nephropathy; characterize the renal risk-benefit of antiretroviral therapy in HIV treatment and prevention; and define best practices to delay the progression of kidney disease and to treat end-stage kidney disease in HIV-positive individuals. The conference also identified knowledge gaps and areas for future research.

Drs. Charles Swanepoel, MBChB (UCT), MRCP (UK), FRCP (Edin) (Groote Schuur Hospital and University of Cape Town, South Africa) and Christina M. Wyatt, MD, MS (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, USA) co-chaired this conference.

Below is a recorded webinar on The Kidney and HIV: Implications for Treatment and Prevention featuring Christina Wyatt, one of the co-chairs of the KDIGO Controversies Conference on HIV-Related Kidney Diseases, and Agnes Fogo, a Steering Committee member and breakout group co-chair. The webinar was developed in collaboration with the International Society of Nephrology, and held on October 20, 2017.