Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Prescribing Trends in Chronic Renal Failure in the Indian Population

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of Chronic renal failure (CRF) in the Indian subcontinent and to identify risk factors and treatment regimens for CRF.

Methods: A prospective observational study was carried out for 7 months. A total of 200 patients with a level of creatinine >1.5 mg/dl were enrolled. CRF prevalence was measured using the hospital’s inpatient department registry and medical records. The risk factors and prescribing were evaluated from the patient file report.

Results: The prevalence rate of CRF was 13.7%. Male patients (59%) dominate the entire group of patients. Most patients (n = 52) were found between the age group of 71–80 years with a mean age of 62.67 ± 16.33 years. Drugs such as diuretics, and hypoglycemics were indicated to treat comorbidities. The average number of drugs per prescription were 7.43 ± 2.75 with high use of antimicrobial agents (88%). Out of 156 drugs prescribed, 76 were from essential as per essential Drug List 2017. Hypertension (P = 0.0072) and diabetes (P = 0.0084) were major concerns as risk factors followed by the drugs used for dyslipidemia, and recurrent infections.

Conclusion: The prevalence rate was found to be 13.7% with significant association with risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, and nonsteroidal anti‑inflammatory drugs, dyslipidemia, chronic infections, smoking, and renal calculus for CRF. The pattern of prescribing was suitable and with few irrationalities.