Assessment of awareness regarding Chronic Kidney Disease and Chronic Hepatitis among people visiting a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Objective: To assess the level of knowledge, regarding chronic kidney disease (CKD) and chronic hepatitis in high risk groups of people Study design: Cross-sectional study Place and Duration: The study was carried out at Ziauddin Hospital, Karachi over a period of 8 months from 19th November 2021 till 19th July 2022. Methodology: A total of 300 patients were interviewed verbally on a questionnaire translated into Urdu. Results: Regarding CKD, only 13% of the participants knew that it is a long term and irreversible condition, with only 6% of them being aware that it can also be asymptomatic in initial stages. Only 5% of them knew that disease management revolves around reducing its progression and complications. 33% of the patients knew about hepatitis B or C, out of which 26% had knowledge that it can progress to chronic hepatitis. Only 21% knew that the infection is lifelong and incurable. Almost 80% of the respondents were not aware regarding the different routes of transmission, the symptoms or the complications. Conclusion: The research identified dismally low level of awareness up to 80-90%, regarding awareness aspects of two very common health conditions. Thus, it is imperative to design religiously and culturally acceptable public health strategies to increase awareness for earlier detection of both CKD and CLD for better health outcomes and therefore to reduce the economic burden of our country. Key words: Chronic Kidney Disease, Chronic Hepatitis, Knowledge, Perception, Strategies, Healthcare. How to Cite This: Mahmud M, Baqai K, Anwar M. Assessment of awareness regarding Chronic Kidney Disease and Chronic Hepatitis among people visiting a Tertiary Care Hospital. Isra Med J. 2022;14(4):143-147. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55282/imj.oa1341