Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global epidemic, affecting approximately 850 million people worldwide and approximately 10% of the population. CKD prevalence in men was reported as 7.3%, while the prevalence in women was higher at 9.5%, a 1.29-fold increase. The prevalence was 3% in women in high-income countries, while being 50% higher in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Access to health care is limited or challenging in LMICs, especially for women. Pregnancy represents a critical window in kidney care where two lives are at stake, and when access to health care may be more feasible. Pregnancy may serve as the initial clinical encounter where underlying CKD is first identified, particularly through routine prenatal screening for proteinuria and hypertension; therefore, it should be treated as a crucial diagnostic window to detect and manage CKD and hypertension at an early stage. In LMICs, where specialized interventions like dialysis and transplantation are largely inaccessible, and the financial burden of medication increases drastically alongside disease progression, often reaching unsustainable levels, early-stage diagnosis is a critical clinical imperative. Long-term kidney care should be offered to women and their offspring at increased risk of CKD. Prevention is the best and most effective strategy.
Shemies et al. (Thu,) studied this question.