Research Progress in Integrative Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine in Delaying the Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease

Abstract

In recent years, the incidence and hospitalization rates of chronic kidney disease (CKD), especially end-stage renal disease, have risen significantly, posing a severe threat to human health. The most common etiologies are kidney diseases caused by chronic nephritis, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension, with a clear increase in CKD incidence in China. For early-stage CKD patients, reversal may be possible if the underlying cause is removed and active treatment is administered; however, patients in the middle to late stages require lifelong management to delay disease progression. Modern medicine primarily adopts a comprehensive prevention and management strategy, while traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) also plays a noteworthy role in slowing the progression of chronic kidney disease, offering the advantages of reduced adverse effects, ameliorating disease status, and decreasing relapse rates, with irreplaceable value that modern medicine cannot provide. This paper elaborates on the integrated use of Chinese and Western medicine to delay CKD progression, aiming to provide better clinical guidance for preventing the advancement of CKD to end-stage renal failure.