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Kidney disease in elderly South Africans
Ikechi G Okpechi1, Olugbenga E Ayodele, Brian L Rayner
1Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, South Africa. Ikechi.Okpechi@uct.ac.za
Clinical Nephrology
|December 1, 2012
Summary
Kidney disease patterns in elderly South Africans differ from the general population. Unlike younger individuals, HIV-associated nephropathy is rare in older patients with chronic kidney disease.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Geriatrics
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Sub-Saharan Africa faces low life expectancy, exacerbated by the HIV epidemic.
- Increasing global life expectancy leads to a growing elderly population with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
- Renal disease patterns in elderly sub-Saharan Africans remain undescribed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the patterns of kidney disease in elderly patients in sub-Saharan Africa.
- To compare renal disease patterns in elderly South Africans with those in other global populations and the general South African population.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of 111 elderly patients (age ≥ 60 years) undergoing renal biopsy.
- Data collected from Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, between January 2000 and December 2009.
Main Results:
- The most common indications for renal biopsy were nephrotic syndrome (48.6%).
- Primary glomerular diseases (38.7%) and secondary glomerular diseases (36.0%) were prevalent.
- Membranous glomerulonephritis (14.4%), diabetic nephropathy (12.6%), and lupus nephritis (4.5%) were common diagnoses. HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) was rare (0.9%).
Conclusions:
- Renal disease patterns in elderly South Africans mirror international findings.
- These patterns contrast sharply with the general South African population, where HIV significantly impacts kidney disease.
- Age appears to be a critical factor in the presentation of renal disease in South Africa.
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