Screening for renal disease in a remote Aboriginal community using the Bayer DCA 2000

Abstract

End-stage renal disease among Aboriginal Australians has reached alarming proportions during the past decade. The early identification of this disease through community screening programs is a key strategy in reducing the long-term financial and cultural burden of the disease. The small point-of-care Bayer DCA 2000 analyser, which tests for urine albumin:creatinine ratio (ACR), was used as a marker for early renal disease in an adult screening program in a remote South Australian Aboriginal community. Nineteen percent of 149 adults screened had previously undiagnosed persistent microalbuminuria (ACR between 3.4 and 33.9 mg/mmol), while a further 9% had persistent overt albuminuria (ACR greater than or equal to 34 mg/mmol). Aboriginal health workers were trained in the operation of the DCA 2000 to enable screening to be an ongoing, sustainable activity within the community setting. The DCA exhibited excellent analytical performance characteristics and was robust and reliable throughout the study period.