Clinical profile and outcome of patients with acute kidney injury requiring dialysis—an experience from a haemodialysis unit in a developing country

BACKGROUND: The first government funded and sustainable dialysis unit was established in Ethiopia at Saint Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC). This has led to the development of a unique cohort of patients about which very little is known. This study was conducted to describe the clinical profile and outcome of adult Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) patients treated with intermittent haemodialysis at the dialysis center of SPHMMC. METHODS: A retrospective review of clinical records of cases of AKI who required haemodialysis support during the time period from August 1, 2013 to February 1, 2015 was conducted. RESULTS: A total of 151 cases AKI requiring dialysis were included for the study. Overall, the patients were generally younger with a mean age of 36.7 years and thus with few premorbid conditions. The most common causes of AKI were hypovolemia (22.5 %), acute glomerulonephritis (AGN) (21.9 %) and pregnancy related causes (18.5 %). Nearly a third (29.1 %) of patients succumbed to the AKI. CONCLUSION: Infections, AGN, obstetric causes and nephrotoxins were the primary causes of dialysis requiring AKI. Most of these causes can be prevented with simple interventions such as health education on oral rehydration, quality prenatal and emergency obstetric care, appropriate management of infections and taking appropriate precautions when prescribing potentially nephrotoxic medications.