Prevalence Patterns of Chronic Kidney Disease among School Children and Adolescents in a School in Varanasi, India

Background: Chronic kidney disease is relatively uncommon in children but can be a devastating illness with several long-term consequences. There is no consensus on the utility of screening programs of chronic kidney disease for children. Community based studies on prevalence of chronic kidney disease in children is very few. The present study aims to estimate the prevalence of chronic kidney disease in apparently healthy school children and adolescents in a screening program in a local school of Varanasi. Methods: The study subjects constituted 118 healthy school children and adolescents, screened as a part of World Kidney Day celebration. Information on age, sex, height, weight, smoking and alcohol, history of diabetes mellitus and hypertension, familial history of kidney disease was extensively interrogated and clinical investigations like, urinalysis and serum creatinine levels were recorded. Chronic kidney disease outcome was detected based on estimated glomerular filtration rate levels and albuminuria. The association of each variable with the outcome was seen using Pearson's Chi square test. Results: The overall prevalence of chronic kidney disease was 9.3%. The median age of the study participants were 10 years. There was nearly equal proportion of children in both the sexes. Hypertension and albuminuria were associated with chronic kidney disease. Conclusion: Children with chronic kidney disease comprise a very small but important portion of the total chronic kidney disease population. A regular screening process is required to study the prevalence of paediatric chronic kidney disease before one reaches to a stage of irreversible adverse outcome.