Awareness of chronic kidney disease and the perception of the community towards organ donation and renal transplantation in Riyadh province of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant health problem associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Awareness of CKD in people is crucial to decrease mortality, morbidity, and complications. CKD can lead to end-stage renal failure that needs renal transplantation. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the awareness of chronic kidney disease and the community's perception of organ donation and renal transplantation. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 503 Saudi adults between June and September 2022 in Riyadh Province of Saudi Arabia. We distributed online self-administered questionnaires among the general adult population utilizing convenient sampling. Results: Most of the participants had university degrees (67.2%). Of the total, 40.6%, 24.5% and 29.2% of participants knew that painkillers, hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are risk factors for CKD, respectively. A significant relationship was observed between knowledge about risk factors of CKD and educational level (p<0.05), but an insignificant relation with gender (p>0.05). Most of the participants (53.3%) supported organ donation, and a significant relationship was observed with the gender and educational level of participants (p<0.05). Conclusion: The current study showed low awareness of CKD and poor knowledge about kidney transplantation and organ donation in the community of Saudi Arabia. Mass media and campaigns can be central in raising awareness about CKD and organ donation to help facilitate disease identification and prevention. Keywords: Chronic renal disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, attitude