Impaired renal function in relatives of chronic kidney disease patients

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is now a public health burden. If simple screening tests like the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and presence of albuminuria are done in asymptomatic persons, CKD can be diagnosed earlier that will help in halting the disease and not let it progress to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Aim: This study was conducted to see the proportion of renal function abnormality in the relatives of CKD patients. Settings and Design: This was a cross-sectional comparative study conducted at Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH), Chittagong, Bangladesh, a tertiary hospital in the southern part of Bangladesh. Materials and Methods: We screened the relatives of CKD patients, as a risk population, by urine albumin and estimated GFR (eGFR). Results: We observed a significant difference in urine albumin (29% vs 10% in relatives and nonrelatives, respectively) and abnormal renal function [albuminuria/creatinine clearance (CCr) criteria] (30% vs 11% in relatives and nonrelatives, respectively) between relatives and nonrelatives. Relatives of glomerulonephritis-CKD (GN-CKD) patients had more albuminuria than others. Risk factors like hypertension (HTN), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT)/diabetes mellitus (DM), and family history of DM/HTN/cardiovascular disease (CVD) were significant among relatives and might have some link to familial influence on developing CKD. Conclusion: Relatives of CKD patients should be screened as a risk population to evaluate abnormal renal function.