RA ABEYSEKERA1,2,3, HG HEALY3,4,5, IB GAWARAMMANA2, WE HOY3,6
1Centre for Education Research Training in Kidney Disease (CERTKiD), Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, , Sri Lanka, 2Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, , Sri Lanka, 3Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 4Kidney Health Services, Metro North Hospital and Health Service, , Australia, 5Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Kidney Research Laboratory, Brisbane, Australia, 6Centre for Chronic Disease, Centre for Clinical Research, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Aim
Identify awareness of risk factors for kidney disease among public in an urban region in Sri Lanka.
Background
Awareness of common risk factors of kidney disease such as diabetes and hypertension among the general public leads to prevention, early detection and improved outcomes. Over the last three decades significant media and geo-political attention has been given to CKD of uncertain aetiology(CKDu) in Sri Lanka that public awareness has improved but skewed towards CKDu.
Methods
This study was undertaken as part of a CKD prevalence study. The sample was selected through a stratified random sampling method from urban Kandy District in Sri Lanka which is not a CKDu endemic region. Five screening questions were asked to evaluate participants’ understanding of risk factors for kidney disease.
Results
265 participants were studied. Mean age was 54.9 years (SD15.3). 55% were females, 86.7% were of Sinhalese ethnicity and 89.6% were educated beyond primary school. 28.3% and 29.5% had diagnosed diabetes and hypertension respectively. 49.4% stated that they are aware of risk factors for kidney disease, whereas 29.4% did not know and 21.1% were unsure. The majority (55%) stated water was the main risk factor followed by drug induced injury (17.3%) and diabetes (13.9%). On direct questioning 65% identified diabetes but only 31.3% identified hypertension as a risk factor.
Conclusions
Majority of participants identified water as the main risk factor for kidney disease in Sri Lanka. Attention given to CKDu has detracted the public’s awareness of the more common risk factors such as diabetes and hypertension. This highlights the need for increasing awareness among the public regarding the main risk factors for kidney disease.
Biography:
Dr. Rajitha Abeysekera is a Consultant Nephrologist and Senior Lecturer in Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. He is also the current Director of the Centre for Education Research Training in Kidney Disease (CERTKiD) of the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. His research interest is in CKD, CKD epidemiology, AKI and critical care nephrology,