Clinical and laboratory characteristics of adults with chronic kidney disease in Jos, Nigeria

Abstract

Background:
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects between 10 to 16% of the population globally. In

Nigerians, it is the most common mode of presentation of patients with renal disease. We
describe the clinical and laboratory characteristics of adults diagnosed with CKD at the Jos

University Teaching Hospital (JUTH). Identifying these characteristics would help create more awareness among health workers on the nature of CKD in our setting.

Methods:
This was a descriptive retrospective study on 81 patients aged 16-88 years, in which patients’ data were extracted from their case notes over a period of 3 years (January 2008 to December 2010). The median and interquartile range (IQR) for continuous variables and the frequency and percentages of CKD across categorical variables, were determined

Results: The median age of the patients was 38 years (IQR, 29 - 50) and majority were males
(49, 60.5%). The median eGFR of the patients was low, 12 mls/min/1.73m2 (IQR, 7 -25). Majority were <40years of age (45, 55.6%) and had stage 2 systolic hypertension (40/81, 49.4%) and stage 2 diastolic hypertension (49/81, 60.5%), a diagnosis of chronic glomerulonephritis (35/81, 43.2%), anaemia (PCV<24%) (59/75,78.7%), urea level >6.5 mmol/L (70/79, 88.6%), serum creatinine level >126.0 µmol/L (69/75, 92%), uric acid level >420 µmol/L (33/45, 73.3%) and proteinuria (53/71, 74.7%). Conclusion: CKD was commoner in young adults. The majority of patients had very low eGFR with anaemia as the commonest complication; suggesting late presentation. There is, therefore, the need for education of health workers on the importance of early and timely referral of CKD patients to nephrologists. A thorough evaluation of CKD patients, early detection and treatment of complications associated with advanced CKD should also be emphasized.