This 3-year observational study shows that healthcare costs of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) not receiving dialysis are, on average, €2.7k.

The last stages of CKD account for 17–22% of unit healthcare costs of patients receiving dialysis. Policymakers should enhance all actions to postpone patients starting on dialysis; this would imply important savings for the healthcare system

The greater the severity of CKD, the higher the costs of patients with CKD. The more patients are kept at the initial stages, the higher the savings will be for the healthcare system.

Early management of patients with CKD in the predialysis stages, as well as the use of proper preventive treatments, may in fact slow the progression of kidney damage, including access to dialysis, with consequent savings of economic resources