Acute renal failure in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia: a prospective study of 136 patients

The causes and clinical course of 136 cases of acute renal failure (ARF) consecutively treated in the Renal Unit of Tikur Anbessa Hospital, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, between January 1989 and December 1992 are described. There were 106 women and 30 men with mean age of 26.9 +/- 7.2 and 40.7 +/- 14.9 years respectively. Septic abortion is still the leading cause of ARF (71 patients) followed by falciparum malaria (29 patients) and nephrotoxic agents (12 patients). One-hundred-seventeen patients (86%) required dialysis. The overall case fatality rate was 33.8%, with similar mortality rates in septic abortion (36.6%) and falciparum malaria infection (37.9%), but a much lower rate (16.7%) in acute renal failure secondary to nephrotoxic agents. Septicaemia and pneumonia were leading causes of death. Derangement of liver function was associated with higher mortality rates in patients with septic abortion and malaria, whereas leukocytosis was found to be a poor prognostic finding in the latter. Non-oliguric ARF was seen in 33.8% of cases and was found commonly in patients with malaria (75.9%) or in nephrotoxin-induced ARF (83.8%). Mean duration of oliguria was 18.9 +/- 11 days. Compared to the previous report from the same centre, this larger series identified important clinical settings other than septic abortion which predispose to ARF. As renal function tests are not performed routinely in many Ethiopian hospitals and as many patients have non-oliguric ARF, cases may be being missed. Measures to prevent septic abortion and malaria, and the judicious use of nephrotoxic agents, may decrease the incidence of ARF.