Renal function, urinalysis abnormalities and correlates among HIV-infected cameroonians naive to antiretroviral therapy

Abstract EN

As per guidelines and recommendations, screening for renal diseases should be performed at the time of diagnosis of human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) infection; however, this remains largely unimplemented in many settings across Sub-Saharan Africa.

We evaluated the renal function, urinalysis abnormalities and their correlates in HIV-infected individuals who were naïve to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).

This was a cross–sectional study of 2 months’ duration involving 104 HIV-infected outpatients naive to HAART (71 women, 68 %) attending the HIV clinic of the Yaoundé General Hospital in Cameroon.

Renal and urinalysis parameters were measured and the Student t-test and Fischer exact test were used to compare the groups of participants.

The mean age and CD4 count were, respectively, 35 ± 10.7 years and 305 ± 202 / mL.

Fifty-six (54 %) patients presented with stages 3 and 4 of HIV infection.

Forty-three (41 %) patients had urinalysis abnormalities, including proteinuria (36 %), leukocyturia (13 %) and hematuria (12 %).

Proteinuria was associated with increased age, advanced stage of HIV infection, decreased CD4 count, hematuria and renal failure (P <0.04).

Hematuria and leukocyturia were associated with decreased CD4 count and advanced stage of HIV infection, respectively (P = 0.04).

The mean estimated glomerular filtration (eGFR) rate was100.2 ± 32.7 mL / min ; three (3 %) patients had renal failure (eGFR < 60 mL / min) and 45 (43 %) patients had reduced kidney function 60 ≤ eGFR ≤ 90 mL / min.

There was a high prevalence of decreased kidney function and proteinuria among Cameroonian HIV-infected patients naïve to HAART.

Indicators of the severity of HIV infection, including advanced stage and low CD4 count, were associated with urinalysis abnormalities.