The Prevalence of CKD in Australian Primary Care: Analysis of a National General Practice Dataset

Introduction: The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Australia varies substantially across reports. Using a large, nationally representative general practice data source, we determined the contemporary prevalence and staging of CKD in the Australian primary care.

Methods: We performed a retrospective, community-based observational study of 2,720,529 adults with ≥1 visit to a general practice participating in the MedicineInsight program and ≥1 serum creatinine measurement (with or without a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio [UACR] measurement) between 2011 and 2020. CKD prevalence was estimated using 3 definitions based on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and UACR measurements with varying degrees of rigidity in terms of the number of measurements assessed to define CKD ("least", "moderate" and "most" rigid).

Results: CKD prevalence in the cohort progressively increased over the 10-year study period, irrespective of the method used to define CKD. In 2020, CKD prevalence in the cohort was 8.4%, 4.7%, and 3.1% using the least, moderate, and most rigid definition, respectively. The number of patients with UACR measurements was low such that, among those with CKD in 2020, only 3.8%, 3.2%, and 1.5%, respectively, had both eGFR and UACR measurements available in the corresponding year. Patients in whom both eGFR and UACR measurements were available mostly had moderate or high risk of CKD progression (83.6%, 80.6%, and 76.2%, respectively).

Conclusion: In this large, nationally representative study, we observed an increasing trend in CKD prevalence in primary care settings in Australia. Most patients with CKD were at moderate to high risk of CKD progression. These findings highlight the need for early detection and effective management to slow progression of CKD.