Introduction:

Chronic kidney disease is considered a disease with serious repercussions for the society and health policies, with high incidence and prevalence due to the rise of diseases such as arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus.

Objective:

To detect, in a timely manner, adults at high risk of developing chronic kidney disease in order to preserve their health, and thus slow the onset and progression of kidney damage.

Methods:

A descriptive, cross-sectional and quantitative study was carried out with 404 adult relatives of nursing students from the Technical University of Machala, El Oro, Ecuador. The questionnaire for early detection of renal disease risk of the Da Vita group was used.

Results:

Arterial hypertension was found as the main disease (27.2 %), followed by type II diabetes mellitus (9.4 %). The chi-square test showed no difference in the history of hypertension between both sexes (p > 0.05). Of the study population, 55.6 % were obese/overweight, 54.7 % reported a sedentary lifestyle, and 120 persons (29.7 %) had a family history of chronic kidney disease. A total of 137 persons (33.9 %) reported consuming nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. The total of patients with arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus (n = 17; 4.21 %) were obese, sedentary, and had a family history of chronic kidney disease, a reason why they were considered at high risk. They were referred to consultation for study, in addition to receiving educational talks.

Conclusions:

The health professional can and should have an impact on the early detection of chronic kidney disease through screening and educational programs that increase the knowledge of the susceptible population.

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