Pediatric acute renal failure in southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

Background. Acute renal failure (ARF) was investigated to determine the prevalence of ARF clinical types, etiology, comorbidities, and outcome in Nigerian children. Methods. Consecutive cases of ARF admitted from March, 1994 through February, 2003 were prospectively studied. Information were obtained concerning the following: age, gender, body surface area, early (within 48 hours of onset of ARF) or late (>48 hours of onset of ARF) presentation, admission duration, etiology, comorbidities, urine volume/day, dialysis need, reasons for considering dialysis, laboratory investigations, and outcome in each patient. Histopathologic reports of percutaneous renal and surgical biopsies, as well as autopsy specimens, were reviewed. Results. There were 78 boys and 45 girls (M:F, 1.73:1); mean age was 6.28 ± 4.0 years. A portion of patients presented early (46.3%), while 53.7% presented late. Oliguric (63.41%), anuric (20.33%), and nonoliguric (16.26%) ARF were the clinical types seen. Dialysis requirement was significantly higher in oliguric (P < 0.005) and anuric (P < 0.005) than nonoliguric ARF. Primary and secondary etiologies accounted for 29% and 71% of ARF cases, respectively. Renal Burkitt's lymphoma (47.2%), glomerulonephritis (27.8%), nephrotic syndrome (16.7%), hemolytic uremic syndrome (5.5%), and acute tubulointerstitial nephritis (2.8%) were primary etiologies. Plasmodium falciparum malaria (42.53%), septicemia (28.73%), hypovolemia (11.49%), and obstructive uropathy (8.05%) were major secondary etiologies. Financial constraints on the part of parents of patients, as well as inadequate and/or lack of dialysis equipment, were major inhibitions to effective management of the patients; in fact, 6 patients took voluntary discharge due to inability to afford the cost of treatment. Mortality risk factors were late presentation [odds ratio (OR) 3.5, P < 0.001], dialysis eligibility (OR 3.8, P < 0.001), nondialysis (OR 23.1, P = 0.00004), primary etiology (OR 2.6, P < 0.025), and presence of ≥2 comorbidities (OR 2.9, P < 0.025); overall mortality rate was 46.2%. Conclusion. These results show that many of the causes of ARF in our patients are preventable; it should be possible to reduce morbidity due to ARF through purposive preventive measures.