Information and consensus document for the detection and management of chronic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health problem worldwide that affects more than 10% of the Spanish population. CKD is associated with high comorbidity rates, poor prognosis and major consumption of health system resources. Since the publication of the last consensus document on CKD seven years ago, little evidence has emerged and few clinical trials on new diagnostic and treatment strategies in CKD have been conducted, apart from new trials in diabetic kidney disease. Therefore, CKD international guidelines have not been recently updated. The rigidity and conservative attitude of the guidelines should not prevent the publication of updates in knowledge about certain matters that may be key in detecting CKD and managing patients with this disease. This document, also prepared by 10 scientific associations, provides an update on concepts, clarifications, diagnostic criteria, remission strategies and new treatment options. The evidence and the main studies published on these aspects of CKD have been reviewed. This should be considered more as an information document on CKD. It includes an update on CKD detection, risk factors and screening; a definition of renal progression; an update of remission criteria with new suggestions in the older population; CKD monitoring and prevention strategies; management of associated comorbidities, particularly in diabetes mellitus; roles of the Primary Care physician in CKD management; and what not to do in Nephrology. The aim of the document is to serve as an aid in the multidisciplinary management of the patient with CKD based on current recommendations and knowledge.

[Interobserver agreement on electrocardiographic diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertensive patients in Andalusia. PREHVIA study]. / Concordancia entre observadores en el diagnóstico electrocardiográfico de la hipertrofia ventricular izquierda en hipertensos de Andalucía. Estudio PREHVIA.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the agreement between Primary Care (PC) doctors and a cardiology specialist in diagnosing left ventricular hypertrophy in the electrocardiograph (LVH-ECG) in hypertensive patients. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, multicentre study. SETTING: Andalusian Primary Care Centres. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 120 PC doctors who using a random sample selected patients of 35 years or more with AHT of at least 6 months of progression. PRIMARY VARIABLES: Demographic data, risk factors and cardiovascular diseases were recorded. The LVH-ECG was evaluated by applying Cornell voltage criteria, Cornell and Sokolow-Lyon product. The PC researchers read the ECG first and the cardiologist made a second reading blind. RESULTS: A total of 570 patients (mean +/- SD of age, 65 +/- 11 years; 54.5% females); the LVH-ECG prevalence was 13.7% (95% CI, 10.8-16.6; 12.6% by Cornell and 1.6% by Sokolow-Lyon). The agreement in the diagnosis between the PC doctors and the cardiologist was 0.378 (95% CI, 0.272-0.486; disagreements in 15.5% of cases). The PC doctors slightly underestimated the LVH-ECG prevalence by Cornell and slightly overestimated it by the Sokolow-Lyon criteria. The agreement was also low for all of them (kappa = 0.367; 95% CI, 0.252-0.482, for Cornell, and kappa = 0.274; 95% CI: 0.093-0.454 for Sokolow-Lyon). CONCLUSIONS: The agreement between the diagnosis by the PC doctors and the cardiologist was low. The implications of this study suggest the need to improve the reading of ECG among PC doctors. The use of computerised systems could be a good option.

[Prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy, atrial fibrillation and cardiovascular disease in hypertensive patients of Andalusia, Spain. PREHVIA study]. / Prevalencia de hipertrofia ventricular izquierda, fibrilación auricular y enfermedad cardiovascular en hipertensos de Andalucía. Estudio PREHVIA.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of the PREHVIA study was to assess the prevalence of electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy (ECG-LVH) and of atrial fibrillation (AF) among Andalusian hypertensive patients, and the relationship of this complications with cardiovascular disease (CVD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study with selection of study centres following the distribution of the Andalusian population by provinces and habitat, and randomization of patients included in the sample. Personal history was recorded, and ECG-LVH was assessed using the Cornell (voltage and product) and Sokolow-Lyon criteria, applied by the participant physicians and by an expert cardiologist. The association with ECG-HVH or CVD was studied by logistic regression models. RESULTS: In 570 patients (mean age 65 years, 54.5% women, 50.6% with obesity, 28,2% with diabetes), the prevalence of ECG-LVH was 13.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 10.8-16.6%). Cornell criterion was fulfilled by 12.6% and Sokolow-Lyon by 1.6%. The prevalence of AF was 5.1% (95% CI, 3.9-7.5%) and 22.1% (95% CI, 18.4-25.4%) had established CVD. In the multivariate analysis, ECG-LVH was associated with female gender (odds ratio=5.10; 95% CI, 2.44-10.64) and with the presence of CVD (odds ratio=2.18; 95% CI, 1.09-4.12). The antecedent of CVD was independently associated with an advanced age, male gender, AF and, less strongly, with low glomerular filtration rate and diabetes mellitus. CONCLUSIONS: In Andalusian hypertensives, the prevalence of ECG-LVH was significantly lower than that found in other studies, greater in women and at the expense of the Cornell criterion, the prevalence of AF was 5.1% and it was 22.1% for CVD with independent associations between ECG-LVH and between CVD and AF.