The SAMRC Non-communicable Diseases Research Unit and other institutions across Africa and beyond who form the CKD-Africa Collaboration, have published a paper that will mark a major milestone for the network. The paper, titled “Prevalence of CKD Among Adults in Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” was recently published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.
This achievement signals the establishment of the first African-led big data platform dedicated to advancing the epidemiology of chronic kidney disease (CKD) across the continent.
In a landmark study, researchers from the CKD-Africa Collaboration have now provided the most comprehensive contemporary estimates of the burden of CKD among adults in Africa
CKD, a long-term condition in which the kidneys gradually lose their ability to filter waste and excess fluid from the blood, is a growing but under-recognised public health challenge in Africa. However, reliable estimates of proportion of adults suffering from the condition have historically been limited by fragmented data and reliance on summary-level analyses, which can less accurate and limit the ability to explore important differences across populations and regions.
This study overcame these limitations by combining individual participant data and summary data from multiple studies across African countries. By using this more robust analytical approach, the researchers were able to generate more precise and generalisable estimates of CKD prevalence and examine variations across regions.
The study found that CKD affects a substantial proportion of adults in Africa. Indeed, approximately 14% of Africa adults have CKD, with 5% presenting with moderate or severe stages of the disease. The conclusions were drawn from 67 studies, which included 91,723 participants from 19 countries. The study also showed notable variations in prevalence across different regions of the continent. Taken together, these findings underscore the growing burden of kidney disease and highlight important gaps in awareness, diagnosis, and early detection.
“This is a defining moment in the history of the CKD-Africa Collaboration as the study represents the first major output from the network,” explains Dr Cindy George, Specialist Scientist in the Non-Communicable Disease Research Unit of the SAMRC and Chair of Operations of the network. “It marks a defining moment in the development of an African-led initiative to better understand kidney disease on the continent through large-scale data integration,” comments Prof Andre P. Kengne, Central Coordinating Team member.
The results of this study highlight an urgent need to strengthen early detection strategies, expand access to kidney function testing, and integrate CKD screening into primary health care systems across Africa. More broadly, this work establishes the foundation for the first African-led big data platform dedicated to advancing the epidemiology of CKD and informing evidence-based policy and prevention strategies across the continent.
Link to the study: Click Here.
Website: https://ckd-africa.samrc.ac.za/