Background:

To reduce the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular risk, the guidelines recommend the blockade of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) in patients with proteinuria.

Aim:

To assess the frequency of enalapril or losartan use in diabetics or hypertensive patients with stage 3 CKD.

Material and Methods:

Review of clinical records of patients with CKD in an urban primary care clinic.

Results:

We identified 408 subjects aged 40 to 98 years (66% women) with stage 3 CKD. Sixty six percent had only hypertension and 34% were diabetic with or without hypertension. Seventy four percent received RAAS blockers (52% used enalapril, 45% losartan and 2% both medications). RAAS blockers were used in 70% of hypertensive and 78% of diabetic patients. The prescription in hypertensive diabetics with microalbuminuria was lower than in those without microalbuminuria (72% vs 87%, p < 0.05), but the opposite occurred in pure hypertensive patients with and without microalbuminuria (88% vs 69%, p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in blood pressure levels, microalbuminuria or serum potassium levels between RAAS blocker users and non-users. No differences were observed either between enalapril and losartan users.

Conclusions:

The adherence to clinical guidelines is insufficient and users of the recommended drugs did not achieve the expected goals.