Why the study?
In Ethiopia, evidence on CKD is largely confined to diabetic populations, with minimal data on other high-risk groups with cardiometabolic risk factors.
More than one-fifth of adults with cardiometabolic risk factors in North East Ethiopia have moderate to severe CKD, emphasizing the need for routine screening in this high-risk population.
CKD data in non-diabetic Ethiopians remain limited; leaves open need for prospective studies before screening changes.
BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major global public health concern, affecting more than 9% of adults worldwide and contributing to rising morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. The burden is disproportionately higher in low-resource settings such as Sub-Saharan Africa, where limited diagnostic capacity leads to delayed detection and accelerated progression to kidney failure. In Ethiopia, existing evidence is largely confined to diabetic populations, with minimal data on other high-risk groups. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of CKD and its associated risk factors among individuals with cardio-metabolic risk factors. METHODS: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 1 to September 30, 2025. A total of 510 adults with at least one of the cardiometabolic risk factors were enrolled to the study. Data were collected through structured interviews, clinical examination, laboratory testing, and abdominal ultrasonography. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated using Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation (CKD -EPI 2021). Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of CKD. RESULTS: The mean age of study participants was 61.7 years and 22.35% of them were found to have chronic kidney disease. CKD Stages 3, 4, and 5 were present in 13.92, 5.69, and 2.75% of the study participants, respectively. Chronic kidney disease was associated with abnormal waist circumference (P=0.040), hepatitis B infection (P=0.021), type 2 diabetes (p = 0.001), hypertension (p = 0.021), and previous acute kidney injury (p = 0.0001). CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The study demonstrated a substantial burden of CKD with more than one-fifth of adults found to have moderate to severe kidney function impairment. Early screening of high-risk individuals and targeted management should be strengthened. Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) testing, which is relatively simple method of CKD screening, should be made available to improve the early screening and detection of kidney disease.
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Aydagnuhm et al. (2026) studied this question.
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