Clinical and Epidemiological Profiles of Patients with End Stage Kidney Disease on Dialysis at Dialysis Centers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: End-stage kidney disease is increasing worldwide, primarily in the developing countries. It is affecting mainly the productive age group. Though the prevalence of the disease is increasing in Ethiopia, there are few studies. We therefore sought to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of hemodialysis patients. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at 17 hemodialysis centers in Addis Ababa. Patients who received hemodialysis for at least three months were included in the study. Socio-demographic and clinical data were collected via questionnaires from October to November 2021. RESULTS: This study involved 318 participants with males making up 197 (61.9%) of the participants. Among the total, 248 (78.0%) were in the age group of 20 to 60 years and 155 (48.7%) were unemployed. Hypertension and diabetes mellitus were the major risk factors for end-stage kidney disease. The mean duration of dialysis was 2.26 years. The frequency of dialysis was twice weekly in 150 (47.2%) of the patients and thrice weekly in 138 (43.4%) of the patients. Arterio veneous fistula was used in approximately three-quarters of patients, i.e. 237 (74.5%). The majority of the patients on hemodialysis, 193 (60.7%), pay their own expenses, and 52 (16.4%) of the patients received hemodialysis at public hemodialysis centers. More than two-third of the patients were not in the process of undergoing a kidney transplant due to a variety of factors, including inability to find a donor, 106 (47.7%), being unfit for surgery, 56 (25.2%), and financial constraints, 38 (17.1%). CONCLUSION: The majority of the patients on dialysis were men, middle-aged, and unemployed. The majority of the patients underwent dialysis in private institutions and were self-funded, and most of them had inadequate dialysis doses. The inability to find a living donor was the most difficult aspect of undergoing kidney transplantation.