information about your mineral and bone health status. A high level of PTH may result from a poor balance of calcium and phosphorus in your blood. This can cause mineral and bone disorder. Having your PTH tested regularly is important because it helps determine whether you need treatment for bone and mineral disorder. WWW.KIDNEY.ORG 21 Phosphorus: Phosphorus is a mineral in the blood that helps keep cells and bones healthy. Kidneys keep the blood phosphorus level in balance. A high phosphorus level can lead to weak bones. People with kidney disease need to have their phosphorus levels monitored so imbalances can be treated early. Potassium: Potassium is a mineral in the blood that helps your heart and muscles work properly. Healthy kidneys get rid of extra potassium in your blood. People with kidney disease should ask their healthcare provider if they need to eat foods low in potassium. A potassium level that is too high (hyperkalemia) or too low (hypokalemia) can be harmful and needs to be treated to bring the level into normal range. Serum Creatinine: Creatinine is a waste product in your blood that comes from the normal work of your muscles. Healthy kidneys remove creatinine from your blood, but when kidney function slows down, your creatinine level rises. Your creatinine level is used to measure kidney function. The results of your serum creatinine are used to estimate your glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Subjective Global Assessment (SGA): Your dietitian may use SGA to help check for signs of nutrition problems. The dietitian will ask you some questions about your daily diet, and check your weight as well as the fat and muscle stores in your face, hands, arms, shoulders, and legs. Ask your dietitian about your score on the SGA. If your score is too low, ask how to improve it. 22 NATIONAL KIDNEY FOUNDATION Urine Albumin (ACR): Albumin is a type of protein made from the food you eat each day. Albumin should not be excreted in the urine. Having albumin in the urine is an abnormal finding. Having albumin in the urine for 3 months or more is kidney disease. Urine albumin can be measured in several ways. Two commonly used tests are: •Albumin-to-Creatinine Ratio (ACR): This test compares the amount of albumin to the amount of creatinine in a single urine sample. When kidneys are healthy, the urine will contain large amounts of creatinine but almost no albumin. Even a small increase in the ratio of albumin to creatinine for 3 months or more is a sign of kidney damage. •Albumin-specific dipstick: This test detects albumin in a single urine sample. Results can be positive or negative. A positive result indicates albumin and is abnormal. People with a positive dipstick result should have the ACR test. Vitamin D: Your body needs vitamin D so it can absorb calcium from food and have it go into your bones. Your kidneys help with this. They take the vitamin D that you get from sunlight and food, and turn it into an “active” form that your body can use. When your kidneys aren’t working well, they may not make enough active vitamin D to keep your bones healthy and strong. Weight: Maintaining a healthy weight is important to your overall health. A sudden weight gain or loss may also be a problem. You should check your weight at home every morning. Speak to your healthcare provider if your weight changes suddenly The Chronic Kidney Disease in Africa (CKD-Africa) collaboration: lessons from a new pan-African network Cindy George ,1 Suzaan Stoker,1 Ikechi Okpechi ,2,3,4 Mark Woodward,5,6 Andre Kengne,1,7 CKD-Africa Collaboration Practice To cite: George C, Stoker S, Okpechi I, et al. The Chronic Kidney Disease in Africa (CKDAfrica) collaboration: lessons from a new pan-African network. BMJ Global Health 2021;6:e006454. doi:10.1136/ bmjgh-2021-006454 Handling editor Seye Abimbola ► Additional online supplemental material is published online only. To view please visit the journal online (https://doi.org/bmjgh-2021- 006454). Received 28 May 2021 Accepted 20 July 2021 For numbered affiliations see end of article. Correspondence to Dr Cindy George; cindy.george@mrc.ac.za © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. ABSTRACT Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global public health problem, seemingly affecting individuals from low-income and-middle-income countries (LMICs) disproportionately, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the growing evidence pointing to an increasing prevalence of CKD across Africa, there has not been an Africa-wide concerted effort to provide reliable estimates that could adequately inform health services planning and policy development to address the consequences of CKD. Therefore, we established the CKD in Africa (CKD-Africa) Collaboration. To date, the network has curated data from 39 studies conducted in 12 African countries, totalling 35 747 participants, of which most are from sub-Saharan Africa. We are, however, continuously seeking further collaborations with other groups who have suitable data to grow the network. Although many successful research consortia exist, few papers have been published (with none from Africa) detailing the challenges faced and lessons learnt in setting up and managing a research consortium. Drawing on