Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects two to four million people in France and most of them are not aware of their disease. CKD is a major, independent risk factor of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity; the cardiovascular risk increases with the severity of renal failure. Evaluation of renal function (GFR) relies on MDRD and CKD-EPI equations. The French CKD-REIN cohort with more than 3000 patients followed for 5 years, will hopefully provide substantial advances in the knowledge of CKD epidemiology, of risk factors and mechanisms of CKD progression and medical practices. Improving CKD screening based on blood pressure, proteinuria (microalbuminuria in diabetic patients) and serum creatinine, is a national duty in high risk patients (with diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases). A major research goal is to identify new therapeutic targets and biomarkers, in order to treat kidney diseases before the occurrence of renal insufficiency, to halt their progression and to decrease cardiovascular risk. Careful therapeutic education of patients is required to successfully implement established guidelines, appropriate diets and new therapeutic strategies.