Glomerular filtration rate in steady state children with sickle cell anaemia in Sokoto, North-Western Nigeria

Abstract

 Background: Sickle cell anaemia (SCA) affects mostly people of African origin. It causes kidney problems termed Sickle cell nephropathy (SCN). Increased   glomerular filtration rate (GFR) has been documented as one of the functional abnormalities seen in young SCA patients.

Objective: To estimate GFR in Nigerian children with SCA in steady state in Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto

Methodology: All patients were randomly selected in a systematic fashion by choosing alternate patients as they presented at the SCA Clinic if they met the inclusion criteria. The controls were apparently healthy social class-matched haemoglobin AA children. Subjects were admitted into the ward for 24 hours. Anthropometric, blood pressure measurements were obtained and urine samples collected over 24hours and 3mls of venous blood was taken for biochemical analysis.

Results: There were 70 males and 50 females with M:F ratio 1.4:1. There were equal numbers of both SCA and control subjects. The obtained mean (SD) GFR was  127.9(38.5) ml/min/1.73m2 for the SCA group and 126.6(20.2) ml/min/1.73m2 for the control group, with t-value 0.23; degree of freedom, 118 and p-value of 0.824.

Conclusion: The mean (SD) GFR of SCA children in steady state is within normal range.

Keywords: Steady state,  SCA children, GFR, North western Nigeria