A propósito de la adecuación de la demanda. Nefropatía diabética

Abstract

Introduction: The importance of measuring albumin in urine is well established; however, there is still controversy regarding the recommendations to be used for detecting early renal impairment in diabetic patients. The objective of this work is to evaluate the results and the costs of the screening program for diabetic nephropathy in our health area. Material and methods: A retrospective descriptive study was carried out on the requests for screening for diabetic nephropathy in 2006. We performed 1111 diabetic nephropathy screening tests requested by general practitioners. Patients were classified into different clinical nephropathy stages according to their albumin excretion rate. Results: Only 39.7% of the requests for diabetic nephropathy screening fulfilled all the prescription criteria specified in the program. The frequency of positive results was different in relation to sex and age groups. The cost per positive result was 29.61� for men, whereas it was 71.17� for women, in the 12�70 years age group. Conclusions: The adjustment of the demand is necessary to ensure the efficiency of health care.