Evaluation of renal function in the Brazilian adult population, according to laboratory criteria from the National Health Survey.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the renal function of the Brazilian adult population, according to laboratory criteria of the National Health Survey (Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde - PNS). METHODOLOGY A descriptive study was carried out with laboratory data from the PNS, which was collected between the years 2014 and 2015. Population prevalence of the serum creatinine (CR) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) according to sociodemographic variables, were analyzed from the PNS laboratory data. RESULTS The sample consisted of 8,535 individuals aged 18 years old or older for the study of CR and 7,457 for the study of GFR. The GFR prevalence < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 was 6.7% (95%CI 6.0 - 7.4), higher in women (8.2% 95%CI 7.2 - 9.2) than in men (5.0% 95%CI 4.2 - 6.0) p < 0.001, and in elderly > 60 years old it was 21.4%. For the values of CR ≥ 1.3 mg/dL in men were 5.5% (95%CI 4.6 - 6.5), and in women values of CR ≥ 1.1 mg/dL were 4.6% (95%CI 4.0 - 5.4), with no diference between the genders, p = 0.140. CONCLUSION Results from the PNS laboratory identified a higher prevalence of chronic kidney disease in the Brazilian population than that estimated in self-reported studies, with higher GFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 in women, and reaching one fifth of the elderly. These tests may be useful for the purpose of identifying the disease early on and thus preventing the progression of renal damage and reduce the risk of cardiovascular events and mortality.