The present invention relates to diagnosing the risk of developing a need for dialysis and/or predicting a need for dialysis, particularly in patients suffering from renal disorders. More particularly, the present invention relates to diagnosing the risk of developing a need for dialysis in a patient, comprising the steps of (a) measuring the level of a BNP-typc peptide or a variant thereof in a sample from the patient, (b) diagnosing the risk by comparing the measured level of the BNP-type peptide or a variant thereof to at least one reference level. The BNP-type peptide may for example be brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) or the N-terminal fragment of BNP, NT-proBNP. A need for dialysis can be present in patients suffering from any kind of renal disorder, e.g. in patients suffering from diabetes or chronic kidney disease. A need for dialysis may also include a need for any other kind of renal replacement therapy, including kidney transplantation or renal tissue transplantation.
