title: Prevalence and cardiovascular risk profile of chronic kidney disease in Italy: results of the 2008-12 National Health Examination Survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  National surveys in countries outside Europe have reported a high prevalence (11-13%) of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Studies in Europe have provided a variable prevalence likely due to differences in study design, including age and extent of geographic areas, equation used to evaluate estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and CKD stages examined.
  
  
  METHODS
  The 2008-12 National Health Examination Survey in Italy randomly extracted samples from the general population aged 35-79 years, stratified by age and gender, from the resident list of each Italian region (440 persons/1.5 million of residents). We estimated the prevalence of CKD by means of urinary albumin : creatinine ratio and eGFR (CKD-EPI equation-enzymatic assay of serum creatinine). Cardiovascular (CV) risk profile was also evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three thousand eight hundred and forty-eight men and 3704 women were examined. In the whole population, mean age was 57 ± 12 and 56 ± 12 years in men and women, respectively; hypertension was prevalent in men and women, respectively (56 and 43%) and the same held true for overweight (48 and 33%), obesity (26 and 27%), diabetes (14 and 9%) and smoking (21 and 18%), whereas CV disease was less frequent (9 and 6%). Overall, the prevalence of CKD (95% confidence interval) was 7.05% (6.48-7.65). Early stages constituted 59% of the CKD population [Stage G1-2 A2-3: 4.16% (3.71-4.61) and Stage G3-5: 2.89% (2.51-3.26)]. At multivariate regression analysis, age, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, CV disease and smoking were all independent correlates of CKD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CKD has a relatively lower prevalence in Italy, in particular for advanced stages, when compared with similar national surveys outside Europe. This occurs despite older age and unfavourable CV risk profile of the whole population.
authors.affiliation: Italian Society of Nephrology, Italy Division of Nephrology, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Nicola
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Epidemiology Observatory, National Institute of Health, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Donfrancesco
authors.affiliation: Italian Society of Nephrology, Italy Division of Nephrology, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Minutolo
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Epidemiology Observatory, National Institute of Health, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lo Noce
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Epidemiology Observatory, National Institute of Health, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Palmieri
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular and Nutritional Epidemiology, Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, IRCCS Mediterranean Neurologic Institute Neuromed, Pozzilli, IS, Italy.
authors.forename: Amalia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Curtis
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular and Nutritional Epidemiology, Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, IRCCS Mediterranean Neurologic Institute Neuromed, Pozzilli, IS, Italy.
authors.forename: Licia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Iacoviello
authors.affiliation: Italian Society of Nephrology, Italy Nephrology Division, Center of National Research, Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology Hospital, Reggio Calabria, Italy.
authors.forename: Carmine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zoccali
authors.affiliation: Italian Society of Nephrology, Italy Division of Nephrology, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Loreto
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gesualdo
authors.affiliation: Italian Society of Nephrology, Italy Division of Nephrology, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Conte
authors.affiliation: National Association of Hospital Cardiologists, ANMCO (Associazione Nazionale Medici Cardiologi Ospedalieri) and Heart Care Foundation (Fondazione per il Tuo Cuore) Onlus, Firenze, Italy Center for Cardiovascular Prevention, ASS 4 'Medio Friuli', Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vanuzzo
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giampaoli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D051436:Renal Insufficiency, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D003404:Creatinine
keywords: albuminuria; chronic kidney disease; glomerular filtration rate; health survey; risk profile