TITLE:
Assessment of the Level of Knowledge about Chronic Renal Failure in 271 Hypertensive Patients in Brazzaville
AUTHORS:
Daniel Tony Eyeni Sinomono, Ange Niama, Gaël Honal Mahoungou, Éric Gandzali-Ngabé, Ndinga Berline, Ngoma Precieux, Dalia Mboungo, Richard Loumingo
KEYWORDS:
Knowledge, Chronic Renal Failure, Hypertensives, Brazzaville
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nephrology,
Vol.14 No.1,
January
30,
2024
ABSTRACT: Background and Objectives: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is now a global public health problem. In low- and middle-income countries such as the Congo, access to dialysis is low and inequitable. The prevention of CKD involves raising awareness among patients at risk, such as those suffering from arterial hypertension (AH), by improving their knowledge of CKD. The objectives of our work were to determine the level of knowledge about CKD among hypertensive patients and to identify the factors associated with a low level of knowledge. Methodology: We conducted a 3-month descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study from 1 August to 30 October 2023 in 3 large public hospitals in Brazzaville (capital of the Republic of Congo). We included: hypertensive patients aged 18 and over who had freely consented to participate in our study and were able to answer the questions on the survey form. Patients with known hypertension who had been followed for less than 3 years and those with known chronic renal failure were not included. Results: The mean age was 58.4 ± 14.4 years (29 - 88 years). There were 121 men and 150 women (sex ratio = 0.8). All the patients were educated; 37.2% with a higher level of education and 13.6% with primary education. 24 patients (9%) had a good level of knowledge about CKD and 153 (56%) had poor knowledge. A good level of knowledge was associated with the duration of hypertension, intellectual level and the existence of associated heart disease. Conclusion: Our study reveals a significant lack of knowledge about chronic kidney disease among hypertensive patients in Brazzaville.