RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has relatively asymptomatic course, but even at its onset, it worsens the prognosis of patients, mainly because of the increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Several population-based screening programs as well as initiatives focused on certain risk groups were undertaken to better diagnose early stages of CKD. It appears that an emergency department (ED) of a hospital may be the right place to screen for early CKD. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to assess the accuracy of ED practices in the detection of CKD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study involved 176 subjects who presented at the ED over 1 month and were subsequently admitted to one of the wards at the general hospital. Blood pressure on admission was recorded in 61% of the patients; serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were measured in 50% of the subjects, urea in 42.2%, potassium in 87.5%, and glucose in 82%. Patients with previously diagnosed CKD were excluded from the study. RESULTS: Sixty-three per cent of blood pressure values exceeded 140/90 mmHg, 27.3% of all creatinine samples exceeded the upper limit of 1.2 mg/dl, and 64.8% of eGFR results were below 90 ml/min/1.73 m² (mean 78 ± 36 ml/min/1.73 m²). Abnormal levels of urea (>50 mg/dl) were observed in 32% of the patients. Potassium levels were within the reference range in 81.5% of the patients (3.5-5.0 mmol/l; only 10.4% exceeding 5 mmol/l). Elevated glucose levels (>110 mg/dl) were observed in 60% of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: ED practices could be used to identify a significant number of patients with undiagnosed CKD. However, these simple, widely available, and cost-effective methods of early CKD detection are underused. Our results show that there is an urgent need for a structural screening program for CKD at the level of ED.
