Prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease in Latin America: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Vera-Ponce V.J.; Loayza-Castro J.A.; Vásquez-Romero L.E.M.; Zuzunaga-Montoya F.E. · Canadian Journal of Kidney Health and Disease (2025) · DOI: 10.1177/20543581251382479

Resumen

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) represents a global health concern, with particular significance in Latin America due to socioeconomic inequalities and heterogeneous health care systems. Objective: To determine the prevalence of CKD in Latin American populations through a systematic review with meta-analysis. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies following the PRISMA guidelines. Setting: Twelve Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru). Patients: A total of 72 486 participants from 21 observational studies reporting CKD prevalence in Latin American populations. Measurements: The CKD prevalence according to Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) or Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI) criteria, stratified by age groups (<60-65 vs ≥60-65 years), sex, CKD categories (G1-G5), and country. Methods: Systematic search in PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases. Observational studies using standardized CKD diagnostic criteria were included without language restrictions. A meta-analysis was conducted using random-effects models with a Freeman-Tukey double arcsine transformation. The risk of bias was assessed using the Munn et al tool. Meta-regressions examined temporal trends and the effects of sample size. Results: The pooled CKD prevalence was 17.14% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 13.40-21.23%) with high heterogeneity (I2 = 99.5%). Age-stratified analysis revealed a prevalence of 11.66% (95% CI = 8.09%-15.79%) in younger adults and 28.29% (95% CI = 22.34%-34.64%) in older adults. Women showed a higher prevalence (19.23%) compared to men (16.75%). Country-specific estimates ranged from 7.26% in Ecuador to 27.14% in Haiti. Meta-regression showed no significant temporal trend (P = .178). Limitations: High between-study heterogeneity, most studies used single measurements rather than confirming chronicity, potential publication bias favoring higher prevalence studies, and limited representation from certain countries, which restricts generalizability. Conclusions: The prevalence of CKD in Latin America exhibits marked age-related differences, with consistently higher rates in older adults. These findings support the need for age-specific prevention strategies and standardized diagnostic approaches across the region. Trial registration: Not registered prospectively (limitation acknowledged). © The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

Instituciones: Universidad Continental; Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas