Prevalence of chronic kidney disease and association with cardiovascular risk factors among teachers in Cape Town, South Africa

Abstract

Background: There is a need to determine the feasibility of conducting studies of chronic diseases among large cohorts of African patients. One aim of the South African feasibility study was to determine the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its association with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among school teachers. Methods: In a cross-sectional survey of 489 teachers we captured data on demographics, CVD risk factors, anthropometry and blood pressure. Serum glucose, creatinine, cholesterol and urine protein/creatinine ratio was measured. Glomerular filtration rate was estimated using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) and the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease study equations. Results: The mean (± standard deviation) age of the participants was 46.3 ± 8.5 years, with 70.3% being female and 74.6% of mixed ethnicity. The crude prevalence of CKD using the CKD-EPI equation was 6.1% while the age-adjusted prevalence was 6.4% (95% confidence interval 3.2–9.7%). CKD was associated with the presence of diabetes and higher diastolic blood pressures. Conclusions: In our study population of relatively young, working individuals CKD was common, clinically silent and associated with cardiovascular risk factors. The long-term complications of CKD are serious and expensive to manage and this, therefore, constitutes an important public health problem for South Africa.

Renal Dysfunction among Ghanaians Living with Clinically Diagnosed Hypertension in the Asutifi-South District: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study at the St. Elizabeth Hospital, Hwidiem

“…In other jurisdictions, a high burden of renal dysfunction among hypertensive individuals was reported in Nigeria [ 16 , 17 ], Cameroon [ 18 , 19 ], Guinea [ 20 ], Brazil [ 21 ], and Qatar [ 22 ]. However, renal dysfunction prevalence rates lower than the findings of this study have been reported among some Ghanaian (4.1% and 0.5%) [ 23 ] and South African (7.8%) [ 24 ] populations.…”

“…Although information is dearth in the present study to explaining the difference in kidney disease burden between the current work and others in various jurisdictions, a host of factors have been suggested to contribute to this phenomenon including difference in population characteristics, geographical location, ethnicity, hereditary, type of definitive criteria used in estimating kidney dysfunction, laboratory method employed and the presence of other CKD risk profiles as well as disease severity [ 14 , 23 , 24 ].…”

Human resources for nephrology in South Africa: A mixed-methods study

“…Developing nations like South Africa have the additional drivers of infectious diseases, injuries, pregnancy-related complications and exposure to environmental toxins that further contribute to the increasing prevalence of CKD [3]. Two recent estimates have reported CKD population prevalences in South Africa of 6.4% and 17.3%, respectively [4,5].…”

Global Dialysis Perspective: South Africa

“…Adeniyi et al 6 reported the prevalence among school teachers at 6.4%, and Matsha et al 7 found CKD in 17.3% of a geographical cohort in Cape Town.…”