Prevalence of pulmonary hypertension and its associated factors among chronic kidney disease patients in Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: An institution-based retrospective study

Background and aim: In chronic kidney disease (CKD), including dialysis patients, pulmonary hypertension (PH) is linked to significant morbidity and death; however, its prevalence in Ethiopia is unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of PH and its associated factors among patients with CKD at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods A four-year retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out among patients with CKD who were receiving follow up care at renal and diabetic clinics of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia, from Sept 2020 to Sept 2024. The patient's medical record chart and/or electronic medical records were the sources of the data. SPSS version 27.1 was used for data analysis. Descriptive analysis was used to summarize the data, and a logistic regression analysis was used to identify the variables associated with the pulmonary hypertension. For the multivariate analysis model, every variable that had a p-value less than 0.20 in the univariate analysis was chosen. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results A total of 243 CKD patients were included, with a mean age of 60.95 ± 12.53 years, and 61.7% were male. The prevalence of pulmonary hypertension (PH) was 16.04% (95% CI: 11.8–21.7%), with 6.2% classified as severe. Advanced CKD (stages 3–5) (AOR: 3.32, 95% CI: 1.95–11.58, p = 0.048), type 2 diabetes mellitus (AOR: 3.18, 95% CI: 1.28–7.89, p = 0.01), and hypertension (AOR: 3.11, 95% CI: 1.35–7.19, p = 0.008) were identified as independent risk factors for PH. Conclusion and recommendations: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a significant comorbidity among Ethiopian CKD patients, with modifiable risk factors contributing to its development. These findings emphasize both the importance of routine PH screening in high-risk CKD populations and context-specific management strategies in resource-limited setups.