Prevalence and Correlates of Elevated Serum Creatinine Levels

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Abstract
THE INCIDENCE and prevalence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) continue to grow.1,2 The social burden of ESRD also is becoming heavier. Although serum creatinine (SCr) levels are not an ideal marker for renal function,3 they are strongly predictive of the subsequent development of ESRD. Recently, Iseki et al4 measured SCr levels in 14,609 participants from a community screening project in Okinawa, Japan. For each increment of 18 µmol/L (0.2 mg/dL) in SCr levels, the odds [OR] ratio for the development of ESRD was 5.3 in men and 3.9 in women, when compared with those who had SCr levels of less than 106 µmol/L (1.2 mg/dL) in men and 88 µmol/L (1.0 mg/dL) in women. Consequently, from a public health perspective, it is imperative to know the prevalence of elevated SCr levels and to identify predictors in the community. The few community-based studies that have targeted this issue have suffered from possible selection or referral bias4-8 or have included limited demographic groups.9,10