Fakhria Al Rashdi, Celine Tabche, Zeenah Atwan, Hamed Al-Qanubi, Samiya Al Khaldi, Nasrin Al-Zadjali, Salman Rawaf
{"title":"Chronic kidney disease in hypertensive patients: the urgent need for targeted interventions in Arab countries: a systematic review.","authors":"Fakhria Al Rashdi, Celine Tabche, Zeenah Atwan, Hamed Al-Qanubi, Samiya Al Khaldi, Nasrin Al-Zadjali, Salman Rawaf","doi":"10.3389/fneph.2026.1735217","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is expected to be the 5th leading cause of years of life lost by 2040. Recently, it emerged as a significant cause of mortality and morbidity, with a high prevalence in Arab countries.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>Assess CKD among hypertensive (HTN) people in Arab Countries through evaluation of the existing literature on CKD prevalence, risk factors, screening programmes and prevention.</p><p><strong>Study design: </strong>A systematic review till April 2024 following PRISMA guidelines. The search strategy was registered in PROSPERO under the identification code CRD42024486068.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Databases searched were Medline, Embase, Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane Library. Screening was done using Covidence by three independent reviewers.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Out of 63 studies screened, 11 were selected for extraction. The prevalence of CKD was higher among elderly, HTN and diabetic patients, with 38.8% having unrecognised CKD. Nearly 39% of the 400 participants in one study had undiagnosed stages 3-5 CKD. Two studies showed that 55.8% and 75% of identified CKD patients had HTN. Physicians reported suboptimal screening rates, with about 77% relying on the estimated glomerular filtration rate as a diagnostic tool. Risk factors for CKD include old age, HTN, dyslipidaemia, family history of CKD, and obesity. Among physicians, 85% recommended a target blood pressure of ≤130/80, 80% advised smoking cessation, 66% prescribed anti-lipids, and 67% recommended weight loss. All studies support the fact that HTN is a risk factor for CKD.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>CKD is an escalating problem in Arab countries, with hypertension as a major risk factor. Many patients remain undiagnosed. A region-specific CKD screening and HTN control programme is urgently needed. The findings are essential for policymakers in strengthening primary care for systematic screening of HTN and CKD.</p><p><strong>Systematic review registration: </strong>https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42024486068.</p>","PeriodicalId":73091,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in nephrology","volume":"6 ","pages":"1735217"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12926114/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Frontiers in nephrology","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fneph.2026.1735217","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is expected to be the 5th leading cause of years of life lost by 2040. Recently, it emerged as a significant cause of mortality and morbidity, with a high prevalence in Arab countries.
Objective: Assess CKD among hypertensive (HTN) people in Arab Countries through evaluation of the existing literature on CKD prevalence, risk factors, screening programmes and prevention.
Study design: A systematic review till April 2024 following PRISMA guidelines. The search strategy was registered in PROSPERO under the identification code CRD42024486068.
Methods: Databases searched were Medline, Embase, Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane Library. Screening was done using Covidence by three independent reviewers.
Results: Out of 63 studies screened, 11 were selected for extraction. The prevalence of CKD was higher among elderly, HTN and diabetic patients, with 38.8% having unrecognised CKD. Nearly 39% of the 400 participants in one study had undiagnosed stages 3-5 CKD. Two studies showed that 55.8% and 75% of identified CKD patients had HTN. Physicians reported suboptimal screening rates, with about 77% relying on the estimated glomerular filtration rate as a diagnostic tool. Risk factors for CKD include old age, HTN, dyslipidaemia, family history of CKD, and obesity. Among physicians, 85% recommended a target blood pressure of ≤130/80, 80% advised smoking cessation, 66% prescribed anti-lipids, and 67% recommended weight loss. All studies support the fact that HTN is a risk factor for CKD.
Conclusion: CKD is an escalating problem in Arab countries, with hypertension as a major risk factor. Many patients remain undiagnosed. A region-specific CKD screening and HTN control programme is urgently needed. The findings are essential for policymakers in strengthening primary care for systematic screening of HTN and CKD.