Understanding the problem of chronic kidney disease in the Republic of Kazakhstan: the study on prevalence and patients' health behaviors

Background There is a lack of epidemiological data on the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hemodialysis, as well as associated health behaviors in Central Asia, although this information is needed for the management of healthcare services. Therefore, this study was undertaken to analyze the prevalence of CKD and hemodialysis in the population of selected provinces of Kazakhstan over the period from 2017 to 2019. In addition, we investigated health literacy and self-management of patients with CKD. Methods This study had a two-stage design. The first stage was a retrospective cross-sectional study, which relied on the data obtained from the electronic database maintained by the Republican Center for Health Development. Point and period prevalence of CKD and hemodialysis were calculated per million population (PMP). The second stage had a prospective cross-sectional design and involved 79 CKD patients presenting at a single nephrology center. Results The point prevalence of CKD was the highest in 2017 ranging from 137.0 PMP in North Kazakhstan province to 388.8 PMP in Turkestan province. The point prevalence of hemodialysis was higher than that of CKD and ranged from 359.3 PMP (East Kazakhstan province, 2017) to 629.3 PMP (Kostanay province, 2018). There was a growth in the point prevalence of hemodialysis over the period of 3 years in all provinces, apart from Kostanay. CKD patients had suboptimal knowledge of their disease and less than adequate self-management skills with certain gender-specific differences. Conclusion Additional studies are required to address the knowledge gap concerning determinants of CKD in the population of Kazakhstan.