THE AETIOLOGY OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE IN MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA

Abstract

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) ia a growing health problem worldwide. Objective: To determine the aetiology of chronic kidney disease among haemodialysis requiring patients in the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study of one hundred consecutive patients with stage 5 chronic kidney failure requiring haemodialysis at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital between January and December 2005. Their demographic data, clinical features, aetiology of the CKD and laboratory data were recorded using a questionnaire administered by the investigators. Result: There were 68 males (68%) and 32 females (32%) with most of the patients (58%) in their 3rd and 4th decades of life. Majority (21%) were from Maiduguri metropolis. Fifteen (15%) of the study population came from Gashua, a town in the northern part of Yobe State. Gashua town has a CKD prevalence of 10/100,000 accounting for 45% of cases from Yobe state, the highest among the 17 Local Government Areas of the atate. The aetiology of CKD was hypertension in 35%, chronic glomerulonephritis in 28%, and diabetes mellitus in 12% of the study population but in 8% of the cases, the cause of CKD could not be ascertained, thus regarded as unclassified. Conclusion: Hypertension and GN were the causes of CKD in this environment. Gashua town of Yobe state has a very high CKD prevalence rate. The reasons for this need to be investigated