Age-related changes in prevalence and symptom characteristics in kidney deficiency syndrome with varied health status: a cross-sectional observational study

Abstract Objective This study aimed to reveal the age-related changes in prevalence and symptom characteristics in kidney deficiency syndrome (KDS) with varied health status. Methods This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in6 hospitals. Investigators queried participants aged 20–79 about their health, including symptoms if any, and completed questionnaires to collect participants responses. Prevalence, severity, and frequency of KDS and other relevant parameters were observed and recorded. Comparative analysis of countable variables, including prevalence, was performed by frequency analysis and χ 2 test and expressed as a composite ratio. Comparative analysis of quantitative scores of the severity and frequency of symptoms was performed by the rank-sum test. Regression analysis of the correlation of KDS with potential contributing factors was performed by non-conditional binary logistic stepwise regression of numerical variables. Results Prevalence of KDS in healthy and unhealthy participants correlated with increasing age ( P P P P P P  > 0.05). Age, health status, lower back pain, shin soreness or heel pain, tinnitus or deafness, hair loss or loose teeth, incomplete bladder emptying or incontinence, and sexual dysfunction or infertility were potential factors contributing to KDS ( P 1. Moreover, the distribution of typical KDS-related symptoms showed dramatic regularities. Conclusion Prevalence and symptom characteristics of KDS were found to increase consistently with increasing age and deteriorating health status. Kidney deficiency may be an important mechanism of aging in the subhealthy and chronic disease states.