A study of Kidney Function Among Adult Patients with Sickle Cell Disease Attending

Background: Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) now live longer due to improved health care. Chronic complications of SCD are increasingly being recognised including chronic kidney disease. Sickle cell disease is a common disorder with Nigeria having one of the highest burdens of the disease in the world. The prevalence of kidney dysfunction among SCD patients in ABUTH, Zaria is not known. Aim: This study was conducted to evaluate kidney function among patients with SCD in ABUTH, Zaria. Method: This was cross sectional descriptive study involving 210 SCD patients (188 HbSS and 22 HbSC) attending Haematology Clinic in ABUTH Zaria and 210 apparently healthy controls. The subject and control groups were selected using convenience sampling technique. Clinical examinations such as body mass index, blood pressure, were done for both patients and controls. Glomerular Filtration Rates were estimated using (CKD-EPI equation). Albuminuria was quantified using albumin creatinine ratio. Tubular function was assessed for pH and specific gravity (SG) using dip sticks and hygrometer respectively. All data were checked for errors before entering into computer programme version 17.0 SPSS for windows. Categorical data were represented as diagram (charts and tables) while continuous variable data were represented as mean and standard deviation. Student t- test and Pearson’s Chi square were used to test for relationship. Results: The study found the prevalence of albuminuria to be 47.2% among patients with SCD in ABUTH Zaria. The prevalence of CKD from stages 3-5 using eGFR was found to be 8.6%. It was observed that 35.2% of the patients with SCD in this study were unable to acidify their urine and 33.3% of them have impaired ability to concentrate their urine. A significant relationship was observed between blood pressure, and ACR with p <0.001. An inverse relationship between blood pressure and eGFR was observed with p <0.001. The study shows a significant inverse relationship between age and eGFR with p <0.001. A positive significant relationship was observed between age and ACR p < 0.001. No significant relationship was observed between BMI and kidney function. Conclusion: This study has shown the prevalence of albuminuria, impaired urine acidification and urine concentrating ability among patients with SCD. A significant relationship was observed between increasing age, BP and kidney dysfunction (albuminuria, eGFR,) among patients with SCD in ABUTH Zaria.