Kidney disease knowledge among patients visiting the nephrology clinic in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

This study aimed to explore chronic kidney disease (CKD)-related knowledge and its predictors among non-dialysis patients with CKD in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). It was a cross-sectional survey conducted at 2 nephrology centers in KSA. Data were gathered using a survey questionnaire that included sociodemographic information and enquiries about CKD. The questionnaire used to explore CKD knowledge consisted of 24 questions with 3 multiple-choice answers for each question: "True," "False," and "I don't know." Data were obtained from 185 patients who visited a nephrology clinic. The major study population was drawn from the western region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The participants' mean (SD) total renal disease knowledge scores was 12.56 (3.55) out of a maximum of 24 points on the renal disease knowledge assessment. This suggests that the participants, on average, exhibited a moderate level of knowledge regarding renal disease. Most respondents correctly answered questions related to blood and urine tests (90.3% and 89.7%, respectively), living with a single kidney (88.1%), kidney function in blood cleansing (83.8%), risk factors like diabetes (82.7%), and hypertension (80%). Additionally, they recognized symptoms such as water retention (85.9%) and fatigue (61.6%) and the potential of certain medications to slow chronic kidney disease progression (72.4%). However, fewer respondents correctly identified nausea/vomiting (31.4%) and loss of appetite (31.4%) as signs of kidney disease, the role of kidneys in maintaining blood pressure (58.9%) and bone health (16.2%), and obesity as a risk factor (54.1%). Furthermore, there were notable differences in knowledge scores between genders, with men scoring significantly higher than women (2.05, P = .041). In general, the understanding of CKD within the CKD patient community in the KSA was at a moderate level. However, male respondents had a greater understanding of CKD than did female respondents. The findings of this study indicate an urgent need to conduct educational activities to improve CKD knowledge among patients with CKD in the KSA.