Abstract:

Background: Recent studies indicate that the prevalence of CKD in Tanzania is on the rise. Several factors including diabetes mellitus (DM), infection and hypertension (HTN) have been associated with CKD in Tanzania. Sickle cell disease (SCD) is widely prevalent in Mwanza region and has been found to contribute to CKD in other populations. The magnitude of CKD as a complication of SCD in Mwanza has not been well described.

Objective: To determine the prevalence, severity and its association with selected risk factors for CKD among SCD patients attending at Bugando Medical Centre and Sekou Toure Reginal hospital in Mwanza, Tanzania.

Methodology: This was a hospital based cross-sectional study. A total of 381 adults and adolescents were enrolled: 55with SCA, 221 with SCT and 105 siblings with Hb-AA. All participants were screened for CKD using serum creatinine and urine protein. Participants displaying features of CKD were further screened for DM, HBV, HCV, and schistosomiasis which are known risk factors for CKD. Results: The prevalence of CKD was 38.6% and 6.8% of them were on advance stage. CKD was high among SCD population with proteinuria of 40% in Hb-SS compare compared to 23.5% in Hb-AS and 21.9% in Hb-AA. Advanced age was associated with development of kidney disease [OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.01-1.05 p-value=0.002].

Conclusion: This study shows that CKD is highly prevalent among SCD affected people in Mwanza and its proportional to presence of sickle cell gene. Advanced age is associated with development of kidney disease. SCD diagnosis is a big challenge in Mwanza and lake zone leading to its late complications including CKD.