Current Issue : April-June Volume : 2024 Issue Number : 2 Articles : 5 Articles
Background Kidney failure is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The incidence of kidney failure in Somalia has been increasing in recent years. There is no data available on the causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD) leading to kidney failure in Somalia. Methods This is a multicentre, descriptive cross-sectional study designed to determine the aetiology of kidney failure among patients receiving haemodialysis in four major demographic areas of Somalia. The study was conducted over a one-year period, from June 2021 to June 2022. Participants were eligible for inclusion if they had been diagnosed with kidney failure, were on regular haemodialysis, and were over 18 years of age. Results A total of 127 patients were evaluated, 84 (66.1%) were males and 43 (33.9%) were female. The mean age of kidney failure patients was 49.3 ± 12.2 years. They originated from various regions, 5.6% from the south, 29.9% from the north-eastern, and 64.5% from the northwest. The mean duration of haemodialysis was 4.4 ± 2.2 years. The most common cause of kidney failure in our study was hypertension (33.1%), followed by diabetes mellitus (27.6%), uncertain aetiology (24.4%), glomerulonephritis (7.1%), obstructive uropathy (3.8%), renovascular hypertension (1.6%), neurogenic bladder, polycystic kidney disease, congenital and hereditary diseases (0.8%). Conclusions Our study showed the leading cause of kidney failure among maintenance haemodialysis patients was hypertension, followed by diabetes mellitus. To reduce the burden of kidney failure in Somalia, primary prevention of hypertension and diabetes and early detection and prompt management of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in high-risk populations should be a fundamental focus....
Fabry disease (FD) is an X-linked inherited lysosomal disorder due to a deficiency of the enzyme alpha-galactosidase A (α-gla) due to mutations in the GLA gene. These mutations result in plasma and lysosome accumulation of glycosphingolipids, leading to progressive organ damage and reduced life expectancy. Due to the availability of specific disease-modifying treatments, proper and timely diagnosis and therapy are essential to prevent irreversible complications. However, diagnosis of FD is often delayed because of the wide clinical heterogeneity of the disease and multiple organ involvement developing in variable temporal sequences. This observation is also valid for renal involvement, which may manifest with non-specific signs, such as proteinuria and chronic kidney disease, which are also common in many other nephropathies. Moreover, an additional confounding factor is the possibility of the coexistence of FD with other kidney disorders. Thus, suspecting and diagnosing FD nephropathy in patients with signs of kidney disease may be challenging for the clinical nephrologist. Herein, also through the presentation of a unique case of co-occurrence of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and FD, we review the available literature on cases of coexistence of FD and other renal diseases and discuss the implications of these conditions. Moreover, we highlight the clinical, laboratory, and histological elements that may suggest clinical suspicion and address a proper diagnosis of Fabry nephropathy....
Introduction: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a relatively rare but serious complication during pregnancy. It is often the consequence of a delay or poor management of a given complication that constitutes as a public health problem in developing countries. The objective of our study was to determine the epidemiological, diagnostic, therapeutic and evolutionary aspects of obstetric acute kidney injury in Chad. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study with descriptive and analytical aims over a period of 6 months from June 1, 2020 to November 30, 2020 and conducted in the Gyneco-Obstetric Emergency Department of the Mother and Child University Hospital in N’Djamena. All patients admitted for obstetric AKI and requiring hemodialysis were referred to the Nephrology Department of the Renaissance University Hospital. AKI was defined according to the KDIGO 2012 classification. All pregnant women with more than 20 weeks of gestation until immediately postpartum who were admitted for acute kidney injury were included in the study. Results: During our work, 1238 patients were collected. Among them, 56 cases of obstetric AKI were included, representing a hospital prevalence of 4.5%. The average age was 26.1 ± 5.8 years (16 and 37 years). The majority of our patients were primigravidas which was 42%, rural women represented 35.7% of our sample and nearly 67.8% of pregnancies did not benefit from regular prenatal consultation. AKI during the 3rd trimester was found in 42.9% of cases. Oligo-anuria was present in 28.6% of cases. Acute tubular necrosis was found in 52 cases. It was secondary to preeclampsia in 60.7%, to HELLP syndrome in 17.9% and to a hemorrhagic delivery complicating a retroplacental hematoma in 7.1%. According to the KDIGO 2012 classification, Stages 1, 2 and 3 represented 32%, 23% and 25% of cases, respectively. Hemodialysis was initiated in 1/4 of cases. Recovery of renal function was complete in 78.6% of cases and partial in 7.1%. We recorded eight (14.3%) maternal deaths and twenty-four cases of in-utero fetal death. The average length of hospital stay was 9.21 ± 5 days (2and 20 days). Conclusion: Obstetric AKI remains a serious complication of pregnancy and postpartum. Despite the good renal prognosis, severe preeclampsia is the main cause. Prevention through monitoring pregnancies would be the most effective measure....
Introduction: Inguinal lymph node dissection (ILND) plays an important role for both staging and treatment purposes in patients diagnosed with penile carcinoma (PeCa). Video–endoscopic inguinal lymphadenectomy (VEIL) has been introduced to reduce complications, and in those patients elected for bilateral ILND, a simultaneous bilateral VEIL (sB-VEIL) has also been proposed. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility, safety, and preliminary oncological outcomes of sB-VEIL compared to consecutive bilateral VEIL (cB-VEIL). Material and methods: Clinical N0-2 patients diagnosed with PeCa and treated with cB-VEIL and sB-VEIL between 2015 and 2023 at our institution were included. Modified ILND was performed in cN0 patients, while cN+ patients underwent a radical approach. Intra- and postoperative complications, operative time, time of drainage maintenance, length of hospital stay and readmission within 90 days, as well as lymph node yield, were compared between the two groups. Results: Overall, 30 patients were submitted to B-VEIL. Of these, 20 and 10 patients underwent cB-VEIL and sB-VEIL, respectively. Overall, 16 (80%) and 7 (70%) patients were submitted to radical ILND due to cN1-2 disease in the cB-VEIL and sB-VEIL groups, respectively. No statistically significant difference emerged in terms of median nodal yield (13.5 vs. 14, p = 0.7) and median positive LNs (p = 0.9). sD-VEIL was associated with a shorter operative time (170 vs. 240 min, p < 0.01). No statistically significant difference emerged in terms of intraoperative estimated blood loss, length of hospital stay, time to drainage tube removal, major complications, and hospital readmission in the cB-VEIL and sB-VEIL groups, respectively (all p > 0.05). Conclusions: Simultaneous bilateral VEIL is a feasible and safe technique in patients with PeCA, showing similar oncological results and shorter operative time compared to a consecutive bilateral approach. Patients with higher preoperative comorbidity burden or anesthesiological risk are those who may benefit the most from this technique....
Background Despite the recognized high symptom prevalence in haemodialysis population, how these symptoms change over time and its implications for clinical practice and research is poorly understood. Methods Prevalent haemodialysis patients in the SHAREHD trial reported 17 POS-S Renal symptoms (none, mild, moderate, severe and overwhelming) at baseline, 6, 12 and 18 months. To assess the prevalence change at population level in people reporting moderate or worse symptoms at baseline, the absolute change in prevalence was estimated using multi-level mixed effects probit regression adjusting for age, sex, time on haemodialysis and Charlson Comorbidity Score. To assess changes at individual level, the proportion of people changing their symptom score every 6 months was estimated. Results Five hundred fifty-two participants completed 1725 questionnaires at four timepoints. Across all 17 symptoms with moderate or worse symptom severity at baseline, the majority of the change in symptom prevalence at population level occurred in the ‘severe’ category. The absolute improvement in prevalence of the ‘severe’ category was ≤ 20% over 18 months in eleven of the seventeen symptoms despite a large degree of relatively balanced movement of individuals in and out of severe category every six months. Examples include depression, skin changes and drowsiness, which had larger proportion (75–80%) moving in and out of severe category each 6 months period but < 5% difference between movement in and out of severe category resulting in relatively static prevalence over time. Meanwhile, larger changes in prevalence of > 20% were observed in six symptoms, driven by a 9 to 18% difference between movement in and movement out of severe category. All symptoms had > 50% of people in severe group changing severity within 6 months. Conclusions Changes in the severity of existing symptoms under standard care were frequent, often occurring within six months. Certain symptoms exhibited clinically meaningful shifts at both the population and individual levels. This highlighted the need to consider improvements in symptom severity when determining sample size and statistical power for trials. By accounting for potential symptom improvements with routine care, researchers can design trials capable of robustly detecting genuine treatment effects, distinguishing them from spontaneous changes associated with standard haemodialysis....
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