Albuminuria Testing in a Primary Care Facility in the North of Portugal

Introduction. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Diagnosis involves a minimum of 3 months of impaired kidney function or kidney damage. This study aimed to evaluate the use of albuminuria testing as a CKD screening tool in a primary health care (PHC) facility in the North of Portugal.Methods. Observational retrospective study involving a sample of 400 adults registered in a PHC facility in Por- tugal. Sociodemographic and clinical data from January to December 2023 were collected.Results. Inclusion criteria were met by 188 patients, of whom 63.8% were female, the median age was 62 years and the mean systolic blood pressure was 126 ± 18 mmHg. In total, 38.8% of participants had hypertension and 17.0% had diabetes mellitus. Albuminuria was measured in 58 patients (30.9%), 89.7% of whom had normoalbu- minuria. Albuminuria testing was conducted in 81.2% of diabetic patients and 61.6% of hypertensive patients. Associations between albuminuria measurement and advanced age, presence of comorbidities and higher blood glucose and blood pressure were found.Conclusion. Despite its accessibility and importance, there is a significant gap in albuminuria testing in PHC. CKD screening in high-risk patients is essential to slow its progression and to decrease its burden.