Applications of Machine Learning for Early Diagnosis and Prognosis of Chronic Kidney Disease: Current Evidence
TL;DR
Although many studies reported high discriminatory performance, the evidence base was dominated by retrospective, single-center, and methodologically heterogeneous studies, with frequent high-risk-of-bias findings and limited external validation.
Abstract
In recent years, interest in machine learning applications has grown rapidly, particularly in the medical domain, where large amounts of data are available for training these models. This review focuses on the potential of machine learning for early diagnosis and prognosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) by examining the most recent literature. Articles published from 2016 to 2025 were collected from online databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase. After abstract and full-text screening, 57 articles were included in the results section. Machine learning was applied to clinical and laboratory data, medical imaging, urine samples, retinal images, and at-home measurements to diagnose CKD and predict CKD progression and related complications. Although many studies reported high discriminatory performance, the evidence base was dominated by retrospective, single-center, and methodologically heterogeneous studies, with frequent high-risk-of-bias findings and limited external validation. Furthermore, most published models are not yet sufficiently validated for clinical deployment. Before these tools can be adopted in routine care, prospective, multicenter studies are required that report calibration and clinical utility, adhere to established reporting standards, and demonstrate added value over the current standard of care.