Correlates of Risk Factors for Hemodialysis in Kano, Nigeria

Kidney diseases are on the increase, with renal replacement therapy (RRT) in the form of dialysis or kidney transplant becoming increasingly inaccessible to underserved individuals. This study aimed to identify the correlates of risk factors for hemodialysis in Kano, Nigeria.

A retrospective cross-sectional study design was used to review the records of patients from Kano State enrolled for hemodialysis from January, 2019 to December, 2022.

A total of 443 patients were provided with hemodialysis. More cases were identified from urban areas of the State. The minimum age of the patients was 6, and the maximum was 100, with a median of 50 (interquartile range=34, 60) years. The majority of the patients (72.0%) had chronic kidney disease (CKD), while acute kidney injury (AKI) and acute on chronic kidney disease (AOCCKD) were found in (15.6%), and (12.4%) respectively. Similarly, a significantly higher proportion of mortality and postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) was recorded among patients with AKI. While higher proportions of hypertensive and diabetic patients had CKD. However, a significantly higher proportion of patients with AOCCKD had chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN).

Hemodialysis is an important RRT. The majority of patients studied had CKD, with hypertension and DM as the major correlates for hemodialysis, followed by AKI, with PPH and sepsis as the major correlates, while AOCCKD had CGN as the major correlate. The government and all relevant stakeholders should target the preventive strategies of all the correlates and improve the quality of RRT.