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Trends in Incidence and Prevalence of Balkan Endemic Nephropathy in the Three Most Affected Villages in Serbia Over a 36-Year Period

The study was undertaken with the aim to evaluate trends in incidence and prevalence of Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) in the villages Šopić, Petka, and Vreoci, Lazarevac municipality, Serbia. Data concerning BEN notifications in the population-based registry of the Special Hospital for Endemic Nephropathy, Lazarevac were used to evaluate BEN incidence rates in the three villages over the period 1973−2008. Population estimates were based on national census data. All age-adjusted incidence rates were standardized to the European standard population and trends were assessed by Poisson regression model and joinpoint analysis. The prevalence of BEN was obtained in cross-sectional studies carried out in the villages Šopić (1971 and 1992), Vreoci (1971 and 2002), and Petka (1971 and 2008). The overall age-standardized incidence rates of BEN in the three villages changed over time. The significant 8.6% annual decrease in the first 16 years of the observed period was followed by a slight increase of 4.6% annually in the last two decades. The age-standardized incidence rates changed over time, being the greatest in the years when the field investigations were made. There was an insignificant change in BEN prevalence in Šopić and Vreoci and a significant decrease in prevalence in Petka. During a 36-year period, 367 new cases of BEN were registered in the three endemic villages and the overall age-standardized incidence rate varied over time. As BEN is a slow-progressing and asymptomatic chronic kidney disease, early detection of BEN can only be achieved by field examination.