Abstract:
Background. Renal diseases over the years have become one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In this
study, we assessed the spectrum and clinical characteristics of Ghanaians with renal diseases at the nephrology unit of Komfo
Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi. Methods. This was a retrospective hospital-based study conducted at Komfo Anokye
Teaching Hospital (KATH) from the years 2005 to 2017. A non-randomized sampling approach was used to include 1426
participants who were diagnosed with AKI, CKD, ESRD, and nephrotic syndrome at the nephrology unit of KATH during the
years under review. All the 1426 patients were eligible for the study. Demographic characteristics as well as clinical data such as the
kind of renal disease presentation, causes of the renal disease, and the treatment options were also obtained from their records.
Results. Overall, 1009 of the total participants had CKD (70.76%), 295 participants had ESRD (20.69%), 72 participants had AKI
(5.05%), and 50 participants had nephrotic syndrome (3.51%). Furthermore, 69 (23.4%) participants with ESRD were on dialysis
whiles 6 (8.3) and 17 (1.7) participants with only AKI and CKD superimposed AKI, respectively, were on dialysis. 226 (76.6%)
participants with ESRD were on conservative therapy. Hypertension emerged as the major cause of renal disease presentation
(53.93%) with bilateral leg edema (13.46%) being the major complaint. There was a significant association between CKD and age
(p ≤ 0.001). Nephrotic syndrome also showed a significant association with age (p ≤ 0.001). Conclusion. This study revealed that
patients at the nephrology unit of KATH, Ghana, are mainly adults between ages 46–55. The clinical pattern of renal diseases is
dominated by CKD and ESRD. We conclude that hypertension, chronic glomerulonephritis, diabetic nephropathy, and sepsis are
the most common causes of renal diseases. The commonest clinical presentations are bilateral leg edema, palpitations, headache,
breathlessness, dizziness, and vomiting. Early diagnosis and management of these conditions may prevent or delay the progress to
end-stage renal disease.
