Prevalence of low estimated glomerular filtration rate, proteinuria, and associated risk factors among HIV-infected black patients using Cockroft-Gault and modification of diet in renal disease study equations

The baseline glomerular filtration rate, predictive of six-year survival in sub-Saharan African patients on antiretroviral therapy for HIV: Cohort study

BACKGROUND

Recently, serious morbidity events associated with initial glomerular filtration rate (GFR) have been described during HIV infection, but this is insufficiently investigated in sub-Saharan Africa very affected by HIV.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the impact of baseline GFR prevailing during the first semester of the HIV infection management on six-year survival in peoples taking antiretroviral therapy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Closed retrospective cohort study. The death was the expected outcome, the baseline GFR (mL/min/1.73m²) in the first semester of the follow-up was the main exposure. Kaplan-Meier method, Cox regression were used for analysis.

RESULTS

According to baseline GFR: <60, 60-89 and≥90, the six-year survival was 81.6%; 95.8% and 96.4% (P=0.067 Breslow). Adjusted hazard ratio for baseline GFR<60 and 60-89 (vs. ≥90) were respectively 5.4 (95%CI: 1.4-19.9; P=0.012) and 1.2 (95%CI: 0.3-4.0; P=0.754). The etiological fraction of deaths attributable to baseline GFR: GFR<60: 81% (95%CI: 0.31-0.95), GFR=60-89: 18.0% (95%CI: -0.7-0.8). Prognostic concordance index=0.84 (95%CI: 0.59-0.95) for GFR<60 and 0.55 (95%CI: 0.27-0.81) for GFR 60-89.

DISCUSSION

The etiological fraction of death and prognostic concordance index associated to baseline GFR level increase significantly with decline of baseline GFR.

CONCLUSION

Baseline GFR seems to predict the six-year survival in African sub-Saharan patients treated for HIV.

Chronic kidney disease in the global adult HIV-infected population: A systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

The widespread use of antiretroviral therapies (ART) has increased life expectancy in HIV patients, predisposing them to chronic non-communicable diseases including Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis (PROSPERO registration number CRD42016036246) to determine the global and regional prevalence of CKD in HIV patients.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO and AJOL for articles published between January 1982 and May 2016. CKD was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60ml/min using the MDRD, Cockcroft-Gault or CKD-EPI equations. Random effects model was used to combine prevalence estimates from across studies after variance stabilization via Freeman-Tukey transformation.

RESULT

Sixty-one eligible articles (n = 209,078 HIV patients) in 60 countries were selected. The overall CKD prevalence was 6.4% (95%CI 5.2-7.7%) with MDRD, 4.8% (95%CI 2.9-7.1%) with CKD-EPI and 12.3% (95%CI 8.4-16.7%) with Cockcroft-Gault; p = 0.003 for difference across estimators. Sub-group analysis identified differences in prevalence by WHO region with Africa having the highest MDRD-based prevalence at 7.9% (95%CI 5.2-11.1%). Within Africa, the pooled MDRD-based prevalence was highest in West Africa [14.6% (95%CI 9.9-20.0%)] and lowest in Southern Africa (3.2%, 95%CI 3.0-3.4%). The heterogeneity observed could be explained by WHO region, comorbid hypertension and diabetes mellitus, but not by gender, hepatitis B or C coinfection, CD4 count or antiretroviral status.

CONCLUSION

CKD is common in HIV-infected people, particularly in Africa. HIV treatment programs need to intensify screening for CKD with added need to introduce global guidelines for CKD identification and treatment in HIV positive patients.

Prevalence and burden of chronic kidney disease among the general population and high-risk groups in Africa: a systematic review

OBJECTIVES

While increasing attention is paid to the rising prevalence of chronic diseases in Africa, there is little focus on chronic kidney disease (CKD). This systematic review assesses CKD burden among the general population and high-risk groups on the entire African continent.

DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

We searched Medline and PubMed databases for articles published between 1 January 1995 and 7 April 2017 by sensitive search strategies focusing on CKD surveys at the community level and high-risk groups. In total, 7918 references were evaluated, of which 7766 articles were excluded because they did not meet the inclusion criteria. Thus, 152 studies were included in the final analysis.

OUTCOME MEASUREMENT

The prevalence of CKD in each study group was expressed as a range and pooled prevalence rate of CKD was calculated as a point estimate and 95% CI. No meta-analysis was done. Data were presented for different populations.

RESULTS

In the community-level studies, based on available medium-quality and high-quality studies, the prevalence of CKD ranged from 2% to 41% (pooled prevalence: 10.1%; 95% CI 9.8% to 10.5%). The prevalence of CKD in the high-risk groups ranged from 1% to 46% (pooled prevalence: 5.6%; 95% CI 5.4% to 5.8%) in patients with HIV (based on available medium-quality and high-quality studies), 11%-90% (pooled prevalence: 24.7%; 95% CI 23.6% to 25.7%) in patients with diabetes (based on all available studies which are of low quality except four of medium quality) and 13%-51% (pooled prevalence: 34.5%; 95 % CI 34.04% to 36%) in patients with hypertension (based on all available studies which are of low quality except two of medium quality).

CONCLUSION

In Africa, CKD is a public health problem, mainly attributed to high-risk conditions as hypertension and diabetes. The poor data quality restricts the validity of the findings and draws the attention to the importance of designing future robust studies.

Renal manifestations of HIV during the antiretroviral era in South Africa: a systematic scoping review

BACKGROUND

It is estimated that 650,000 patients may develop human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related renal disease in South Africa. South Africa has recently adopted WHO policy, stipulating that all HIV-infected patients have access to antiretroviral treatment (ART) irrespective of CD4 cell count.

METHODS

We searched Google Scholar, PubMed, Medline, Cochrane Library, Worldcat.org and EBSCO host databases from July 2015 to December 2015. Eligibility criteria included articles pertaining to renal manifestations of HIV in South Africa from 2004 to 2015 in adult patients (≥ 18 years). We independently reviewed the articles for quality. Thematic content analysis was performed to identify patterns of renal manifestations from the included studies. The risk of bias (e.g. internal validity) in the included studies was evaluated using the mixed methods appraisal tool.

RESULTS

Eleven out 21 studies were eligible for data extraction. The prevalence of urine abnormalities on urine dipsticks was high but had poor sensitivity and specificity for detecting renal impairment. Normal renal function occurred in 28.4 to 79% of patients, mild renal impairment occurred in 19 to 57.1% and moderate renal impairment in 2 to 14.4%. Severe renal impairment occurred in 1.3% of patients. Both the Cockcroft-Gault equation (after correcting for bias) and the 4-variable Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation (without the ethnicity factor for African Americans) have been validated for the estimation of glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in Black South Africans. HIV-associated nephropathy was the most prevalent histology seen (57.2%). Older age, a lower CD4 count, a low haemoglobin and a detectable viral load were associated with renal impairment. Renal function improved in the first year of commencing ART as evidenced by the regression of proteinuria and the increase in eGFR.

CONCLUSION

The findings of the review have implications to the recently adopted 'test and treat' approach to HIV prevention and management.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42016039270.

Chronic illness needing palliative care in Kinshasa hospitals, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

BACKGROUND

Chronic illnesses are a major public health problem in low-income countries. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), few data are available, especially in palliative care. In this context, the present study aimed at describing the patterns of diseases in Kinshasa hospitals as well as risk factors associated with patients' evolving status and length of hospital stay.

METHODS

A prospective study was conducted in ten hospitals of Kinshasa, over a 1-year period. A total of 2699 patients with a chronic condition (non-communicable diseases (NCD) and/or AIDS) were consecutively enrolled in the study between January and December, 2013.

RESULTS

Out of 2699 patients studied, 36.9% were suffering from cardiovascular diseases, 29.7% from comorbidity and 17.5% from AIDS. 27.5% of patients died while hospitalized, and 67.4% were lost to follow-up. The risk factors independently associated with death in hospitals were AIDS (adjusted OR = 2.2) and age over 65 years old (adjusted OR = 1.7). Peri-urban and rural areas were significantly associated with a mean adjusted hospital stay longer than 3 days. The length of stay (LOS) was shorter for women and patients living in urban areas. Patients survived for a median of 10 days (range 7-20 days).

CONCLUSIONS

This study reveals the high proportion of patients suffering from advanced chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, AIDS and comorbidity. It demonstrates the need for palliative care (PC) in medical practices in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Uncontrolled hypertension among patients managed in primary healthcare facilities in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

BACKGROUND

Uncontrolled hypertension remains an important issue in daily clinical practice worldwide. Although the majority of patients are treated in primary care, most of the data on blood pressure control originate from population-based studies or secondary healthcare.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of uncontrolled hypertension and associated risk factors among hypertensive patients followed at primary care facilities in Kinshasa, the capital city of Democratic Republic of the Congo.

METHODS

A sample of 298 hypertensive patients seen at primary healthcare facilities, 90 men and 208 women, aged ≥ 18 years, were consecutively included in this cross-sectional study. The majority (66%) was receiving monotherapy, and diuretics (43%) were the most used drugs. According to 2007 European Society of Hypertension/European Society of Cardiology hypertension guidelines, uncontrolled hypertension was defined as blood pressure ≥ 140/90 or ≥ 130/80 mmHg (diabetes or chronic kidney disease). Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the determinants of uncontrolled hypertension.

RESULTS

Uncontrolled hypertension was observed in 231 patients (77.5%), 72 men and 159 women. Uncontrolled systolic blood pressure (SBP) was more frequent than uncontrolled diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and increased significantly with advancing age (p = 0.002). The proportion of uncontrolled SBP and DBP was significantly higher in patients with renal failure (p = 0.01) and those with high (p = 0.03) to very high (p = 0.02) absolute cardiovascular risk. The metabolic syndrome (OR 2.40; 95% CI 1.01-5.74; p = 0.04) emerged as the main risk factor associated with uncontrolled hypertension.

CONCLUSION

Uncontrolled hypertension was common in this case series and was associated with factors related to lifestyle and diet, which interact with blood pressure control.

Prevalence and predictors of chronic kidney disease in newly diagnosed human immunodeficiency virus patients in Owerri, Nigeria

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a common cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study aims at identifying the prevalence and predictors of CKD in newly diagnosed HIV patients in Owerri, South East Nigeria. This was a cross-sectional study consisting of 393 newly diagnosed HIV-seropositive subjects and 136 age- and sex-matched seronegative subjects as controls. CKD was defined as 24-hour urine protein (24-HUP) ≥0.3 g and/or glomerular filtration rate (GFR) < 60 ml/min. Subjects were recruited from the HIV clinic and the Medical Outpatient Department of Federal Medical Centre, Owerri. Clinical and anthropometric data were collected. Relevant investigations were performed, including HIV screening and relevant urine and blood investigations. The mean age of the HIV subjects was 38.84 ± 10.65 years. CKD was present in 86 (22.9%) HIV subjects and 11 (8.l %) controls. Low waist circumference (WC), high serum creatinine, high spot urine protein/creatinine ratio (SUPCR), high 24-HUP/creatinine Ratio (24-HUPCR), high 24-HUP/osmolality Ratio (24-HUPOR) predicted CKD in HIV subjects. CKD prevalence is high (22.9%) among newly diagnosed HIV patients in South East Nigeria. The predictors of CKD included WC, serum creatinine, SUPCR, 24-HUPCR, and 24-HUPOR.

Sickle cell trait is not associated with chronic kidney disease in adult Congolese patients: a clinic-based, cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the determinants of chronic kidney disease (CKD) with special emphasis on sickle cell trait (SCT).

METHODS

Three hundred and fifty-nine patients (171 men and 188 women), aged 18 years or older, with reduced kidney function (eGFR < 90 ml/min/1.73 m(2)) and seen at secondary and tertiary healthcare in Kinshasa were consecutively recruited in this cross-sectional study. Serum creatinine and haemoglobin electrophoresis were performed in each patient. CKD was defined as < 60 ml/min/1.73 m(2). Logistic regression analysis was used to assess determinants of CKD with a special emphasis on SCT. A p-value < 0.05 defined the level of statistical significance.

RESULTS

SCT was present in 19% of the study population; its frequency was 21 and 18% (p > 0.05) in patients with and without CKD, respectively. In multivariate analysis, sickle cell trait was not significantly (OR: 0.38; 95% CI: 0.559-1.839; p = 0.235) associated with CKD; the main determinants were dipstick proteinuria (OR: 1.86; 95% CI: 1.094-3.168; p = 0.02), the metabolic syndrome (OR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.033-2.965; p = 0.03), haemoblobin ≥ 12 g/dl (OR: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.210-0.625; p = 0.001), and personal history of hypertension (OR: 2.16; 95% CI: 1.202-3.892; p = 0.01) and of diabetes mellitus (OR: 2.35; 95% CI: 1.150-4.454; p = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

SCT was not an independent determinant of CKD in the present case series. Traditional risk factors emerged as the main determinants of CKD.

Impaired renal function and associated risk factors in newly diagnosed HIV-infected adults in Gulu Hospital, Northern Uganda

Background

Screening for renal diseases should be performed at the time of diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Despite the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Northern Uganda, little is known about the status of renal function and its correlates in the newly diagnosed HIV-infected individuals in this resource limited region. We aimed to determine the status of renal function and factors associated with impaired renal function in newly diagnosed HIV-infected adults in Northern Uganda.

Methods

This was a seven month cross-sectional hospital-based study, involving newly diagnosed HIV-infected patients, 18 years and older. Patients with history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension and renal disease were excluded. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated using Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) formula (Table one). Factors associated with impaired renal function (eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m²) were thus sought.

Results

We enrolled 361 participants (230, 63.7% female) with Mean ± standard deviation age of 31.4 ± 9.5 years. 52, (14.4%) had impaired renal function (eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m²) and of this 37 (71.2%) moderate renal impairment (eGFR 30–59.9 mL/min/1.73 m²) while 15 (28.8%) had severe renal impairment (eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73 m²). Proteinuria was recorded in 189 (52.4%) participants. Of these, 154 (81.5%) had mild (1+) while 8 (4.2%) had severe (3+) proteinuria. Using logistic regression, age, CD4 cell count, and proteinuria were significantly associated with impaired renal function; age >34 years (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.3 – 5.9; P =0.009), CD4 count <350 cells/μL (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.0-4.7; P =0.039) and proteinuria (OR 9.6, 95% CI 5.2–17.9; P < 0.001).

Conclusion

The prevalence of impaired renal function was high in new HIV-infected individuals in this region with limited resources. So, screening for renal disease in HIV is recommended at the time of HIV diagnosis.

HIV-associated renal and genitourinary comorbidities in Africa

With the recent massive scale-up of access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in resource-limited countries, HIV has become a chronic disease with new challenges. There is mounting evidence of an increased burden of renal and genitourinary diseases among HIV-infected persons caused by direct HIV viral effects and/or indirectly through the development of opportunistic infections, ART medication-related toxicities, and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). We review the epidemiology of HIV-associated renal and urogenital diseases, including interactions with kidney-related NCDs such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease. We also examine the current evidence regarding the impact of HIV infection on the development of urogenital diseases. Highly advisable in sub-Saharan Africa are the establishment of renal disease registries, reviews of existing clinical practice including cost-effectiveness studies, and the adoption and use of HIV-related NCD management, with training for different cadres of health providers. Epidemiological research priorities include prospective studies to evaluate the true prevalence and spectrum of HIV-related renal disease and their progression. Simple diagnostics tools should be evaluated, including urinary dipsticks and point-of-care urea and creatinine tests to screen for kidney injury in primary care settings. Study of urological manifestations of HIV can help determine the extent of disease and outcomes. As patients live longer on ART, the burden of renal and genitourological complications of HIV and of ART can be expected to increase with a commensurate urgency in both discovery and evidence-based improvements in clinical management.

Prevalence of microalbuminuria and diagnostic value of dipstick proteinuria in outpatients from HIV clinics in Bukavu, the Democratic Republic of Congo

Background

Microalbuminuria is a marker of early kidney disease and high cardiovascular risk in various populations, including HIV positive patients. However, the diagnostic value of qualitative (dipstick) proteinuria and the burden of microalbuminuria in HIV positive patients living in sub-Saharan Africa are relatively unclear.

Methods

In a cross-sectional study, 235 HIV- positive outpatients were screened for proteinuria in 3 HIV-clinics in Bukavu. A spot urine sample from each subject was tested both by a dipstick and albumin-creatinine-ratio (ACR) assay. The performance of dipstick proteinuria exceeding 1+ was compared with that of microalbuminuria (≥30 mg/g creatinine).

Results

The prevalence of microalbuminuria and dipstick proteinuria ≥ (1+), ≥ (2+) and ≥ (3+) was 11%, 41%, 3.5% and 0.7%, respectively.

Compared to microalbuminuria, the dipstick (proteinuria of 1+ or greater) had an overall sensitivity of 60% and a specificity of 61%. The positive predictive value was 15.4% and the negative predictive value 92.8%.

Conclusion

Proteinuria is highly prevalent in HIV positive patients. The limited sensitivity and specificity of the dipstick to detect significant microalbuminuria make it unattractive as a screening tool in HIV positive patients.