Impact of social and clinical factors on the diagnostic delay of chronic kidney disease: an evaluation study.

AIM This study aimed to investigate the impact of social and clinical factors on the diagnostic delay of chronic kidney disease (CKD) among Iranian patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS Our study was conducted on 350 CKD patients who were referred to Faghihi and Motahari clinics (the two largest kidney diseases referral centers in Shiraz the capital of Fars province). Data were collected via an interviewer-administered questionnaire. A multiple linear regression model was used to measure the effect of factors affecting the delay of CKD diagnosis. RESULTS The medians and Interquartile ranges (IQR) of all delays, patient delay, and doctor delay were 6.5 (0-12.2), 5.1 (0-11.2), and 0.9 (0-3.1) months, respectively. The results showed that women were diagnosed 1.61 months earlier than men (p < 0.05). The duration of all delays in patients residing in the rural areas was 1.28 months longer than patients residing in the urban areas (p < 0.05). Also, patients with perceived good economic status were diagnosed 1.30 months earlier than patients who reported having very poor economic status (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The delay is in part due to the neglect and misinterpretation of symptoms by both patients and physicians. It is necessary to improve the awareness of CKD among general public and medical professionals.