The pathological basis of endstage renal disease in Nigerians: experience from Benin City

A prospective study involving 1,980 patients aimed at defining the pathological basis of endstage (chronic) renal failure in Nigerians was carried out over a six-year period in Benin City, Nigeria. Using information derived from intravenous pyelography, ultrasonography, renal biopsies and autopsies, it was found that 43% of cases of chronic renal failure were due to hypertensive nephrosclerosis, 33% due to obstructive uropathy and 18% due to chronic glomerulonephritis. Chronic atrophic pyelonephritis was a rare finding. The frequency and severity of essential hypertension in Nigerians and their propensity to go into renal failure are similar to what obtains in American blacks. In a society which cannot afford regular dialysis and transplant facilities, there is need for early detection and adequate treatment of essential hypertension.