Risk factors for Undiagnosed Kidney Disease among Stable First-Degree Relatives of Chronic Kidney Disease Patients at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, South Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global public health problem and has a major impact on health and cost of health care. In Nigeria, renal replacement therapy (RRT) is funded out of pockets by patients and their relatives unlike in most developed countries. There is a high clustering of the risk factors for CKD in FDRs of CKD patients, making then an ideal population for the screening for and the reversal of the modifiable risk factors that predispose to CKD.
 Objective: This study determined the risk factors for CKD in the FDRs of patients
 Methodology: This study involving 300 subjects: 150 FDRs of CKD patients and 150 control subjects without personal or family history of CKD. The study and control subjects were screened for CKD using urine albumin creatinine ratio (uACR) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Prevalence rate of the risk factors for CKD such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, dyslipidaemia, hyperuricaemia and life style practices like significant smoking and heavy alcohol consumption were determined for both the FDRs and the control subjects. Data was analyzed with SPSS version 21.0. Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparing the variables between the two study groups for continuous variables that were not normally distributed and Chi square tests for categorical variables.
 Results: The prevalence rate of dyslipidaemia and hyperuricaemia was significantly higher among the FDRs of CKD patients compared with the control subjects (26% versus 12%; P = 0.003) and (20.7% versus 7.3%; P = 0.001) respectively. The other risk factors for CKD that included hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, significant cigarette smoking, heavy alcohol consumption and herbal medication use were equally more among the FDRs of CKD patients compared with the controls, although not statistically significant.
 Conclusion: The risk factors for CKD were common among FDRs of CKD patients. Screening for these risk factors at the earliest possible contact with the FDRs of CKD patients and taking appropriate actions to tackle the modifiable ones will prevent the development of CKD and retard the progression of the already existing disease, reduce the alarming global burden of CKD.