| Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a growing public health threat associated with increased morbidity and mortality in Cameroon due to higher prevalence of diabetes and hypertension. However, estimates of its prevalence in the country are scarce; no prior study has investigated the disease prevalence and its determinants in Cameroon. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to examine the prevalence of CKD among asymptomatic high-risk groups in Bamenda, Cameroon, and assess the predictive effect of diabetes, hypertension, age, sex, BMI, systolic and diastolic BP, serum glucose, smoking, alcohol consumption, herbal medicine and analgesic drugs use on the composite outcome CKD in this study population. Guided by the epidemiologic transition theory, a secondary dataset derived from renal biomarkers screening study was used to achieve the study aims. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and simple and multiple binary logistic regression analyses indicated the presence of significant proteinuria in 21.7% of the study population, while 24.8% of the sample exhibited reduced renal function with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60/ml/min/1.73m2; an overall prevalence of 46.5% by both CKD measures. The findings further indicated that proteinuria, hypertension, age, BMI, systolic and diastolic BP, and serum glucose were significant predictors of CKD by proteinuria or eGFR <60/ml/min/1.73m 2. This is the first report documenting the prevalence and determinants of CKD in Cameroon. These findings contribute to the growing body of evidence on biomarkers of kidney damage and reduced renal function and will inform Cameroon's public health policy on preventive strategies, routine screening and interventions designed to promote public awareness on CKD risk factors and to curb the disease associated morbidity and mortality. |
