Renal failure in HIV-positive patients-a South African experience

Kidney disease is a major complication of HIV infection, with both acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) contributing to morbidity and mortality. Incidence of AKI was reported as 5.9 per 100 patient years in ambulatory patients and ∼18% in hospitalized HIV-infected patients, an almost 3-fold higher risk compared with HIV uninfected patients in developed countries. CKD was reported in 6-48.5% of HIV-infected patients in Africa. There is a paucity of data regarding the prevalence and outcomes of AKI in HIV-infected patients in sub-Saharan Africa, the region most affected by HIV.

A retrospective review of 101 HIV-positive anti-retroviral therapy (ART)-naïve patients presenting with renal failure from 1 October 2005 to 30 September 2006 was undertaken.

A total of 684 patients presented with renal failure, 101 (14.8%) of whom were HIV positive. Ninety-nine (98%) of HIV-positive patients were black and 56 (55%) were male, with mean age 38 ± 9.9 years (range 21-61 years). HIV-positive patients demonstrated severe immunosuppression, with mean CD4 count of 135 cells/µL (range 1-579 cells/µL). Fifty-seven (56%) HIV-positive patients presented with AKI, 21 (21%) with acute-on-chronic kidney disease and 23 (23%) with CKD; seven patients with AKI were excluded due to lack of records. The causes of AKI in the HIV-positive group included sepsis (60%), volume depletion and haemodynamic instability (19%), toxins (9%), urological obstruction (7%) and miscellaneous (14%). Forty-four per cent of HIV-positive and 47% of HIV-negative patients with AKI demised; P = 0.45. Hyponatraemia (P = 0.018), acidosis (P = 0.018), anaemia (P = 0.019) and hyperphosphataemia (P = 0.003) were predictors of mortality in HIV-positive patients with AKI. In comparison, predictors of mortality in the HIV-negative group were age (P = 0.023) and black ethnicity (P = 0.04).

HIV-positive patients, compared with the HIV-negative group, presented with AKI at a younger age and at an advanced stage of immunosuppression. Appropriate support, including dialysis, resulted in similar outcomes in both groups.