Abstract:
Background: Nephrotic syndrome is a common childhood renal disease globally with a penchant
for the early years of life and has generated a lot of interest among paediatricians and
nephrologists.
Aim: This study aimed to determine the clinical, therapeutic and socio-demographic features of children with nephrotic syndrome at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi,
Ghana.
Methodology: Hospital-based single-center study conducted from December 2015 to May 2016
among children with nephrotic syndrome at the Child Health Department of the Komfo Anokye
Teaching Hospital (KATH) in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Retrospective data of 172 patients
admitted from January 2011 to January 2015 was used. Socio-demographic and laboratory data
(biochemical and serological) of participants were retrieved from the laboratory database while
clinical information (family history, past medical records, and symptoms) was retrieved from the
patients’ records.
Results: Of the 172 participants sampled, 112 (65.1%) were males and 60 (34.9%) were females.
The mean ages of the males and the females were similar (6.56 ± 3.25 vs 6.80 ± 3.19; p = 0.647).
Interestingly, majority of the males 49 (68.1%) and the females 23 (31.9%) were within the age
group 4-7 years. Compared to females, more male participants had ascites [17 (81.0%) vs 4
(19.0%)], and bilateral nephromegaly [13 (76.5%) vs 4 (23.5%)]. On clinical examination, the
commonest conditions among the males and the females were hypertension [44 (25.6%)] followed
by glomerulonephritis [31 (18.0%)] and then infection [15 (8.7%)]. The least condition on clinical
examination among the participants was hepatomegaly [2 (1.2%)] which was seen more in the
males [2 (100%)] than the females. Participants presented with more generalized body swellings
[122 (70.9%)], facial puffiness [105 (61.0%)], and symptoms of infection [101 (58.7%)]. Hematuria
[3(1.7%)] was uncommon among the participants and was lower in the males [1(33.3%)] than the
females [2(66.7%)]. Most participants had undetermined steroid response with males dominating.
Males were more sensitive to steroids than females.
Conclusion: Nephrotic syndrome was common among males aged 4-7 with low social class.
Renal impairment, generalized body swelling, facial puffiness, symptoms of infection and
hypertension were the commonest clinical manifestations. Males were more steroid sensitive than
females.
