The prevalence of chronic kidney disease in Samoans living in Auckland, New Zealand.

AIMS: Pacific peoples have higher rates of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and are five times more likely to commence kidney replacement therapy compared with New Zealand (NZ) Europeans. As the majority live Auckland, this study looked at the prevalence of CKD in two Auckland Pacific Island health providers caring for a large proportion of Pacific peoples, of which almost 50% are Samoan, as well as NZ Europeans. METHODS: De-identified information was requested on individuals who had two or more CKD tests (serum creatinine and urinary albumin creatinine ratios) more than 3 months apart. CKD prevalence across different demographic groups was determined. Logistic regression was used to look at associations of known risk factors and CKD. RESULTS: Data from 25 127 patients was evaluated. Of the total sample, 7451 individuals identified as Samoans. The prevalence of CKD amongst all Samoans in this sample was 17.8% increasing to 36.3% in those Samoans that had been tested for CKD. The prevalence of CKD in this total sample was 13% increasing to 27.5% considering only those who had CKD testing. The odds of Samoans having CKD (adjOR: 1.9 [95%CI 1.7, 2.2]), all other Pacific Island ethnicities identified and NZ Maori (adjOR:1.5 [95%CI 1.3, 1.8]), were increased compared with non-Maori-non-Pacific (likelihood p value <.001). CONCLUSION: We report the high prevalence of CKD (15.9%-33.4%) in Samoans living in New Zealand. This reveals an urgent need for further studies to develop strategies to prevent or reduce the development of kidney failure and premature death.

Kidney failure in Samoa.

BACKGROUND: There is limited literature on kidney disease in the Pacific Region, despite it being recognised as a leading cause of death in some Pacific Island nations. Kidney replacement therapy is only available in a handful of Pacific Islands. This paper reports the epidemiology of haemodialysis patients in Samoa. METHODS: Registry data from the National Kidney Foundation of Samoa was analysed to estimate the incidence and prevalence rates of kidney failure from the rates of haemodialysis in Samoa and to explore some of the demographic features related to kidney failure in Samoa. FINDINGS: In total, 393 patients have received long-term haemodialysis in the National Kidney Foundation of Samoa since its inception in 2005 until August 2019. 43% of the haemodialysis population were women and the mean age of people dialysed was 54.9 years. The crude mean incidence rate of kidney failure in Samoa, based on treated kidney failure cases, is 224 patients per million population with a crude prevalence of 629 patients per million population. Diabetic nephropathy (69.4%) was the leading cause of kidney failure. INTERPRETATION: This is the first paper to report the epidemiology of haemodialysis patients in Samoa and reveals an urgent need for further studies on the extent of chronic kidney disease, and kidney failure, in Samoa to develop country specific prevention strategies to mitigate this growing burden and optimise care for kidney failure patients in Samoa. FUNDING: : No funding was received for this study.