Hematological profile of predialysis chronic kidney disease patients in a tertiary hospital in Southern Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with variable changes in the hematological parameters. Anemia is the most common abnormality, however, both number and function of white cells and platelets may be affected. These abnormalities are associated with poor overall clinical outcome. This study assessed the hematologic profile of pre-dialysis CKD subjects and associated factors. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that assessed and compared the hematologic profile in 100 pre-dialysis CKD subjects and 90 healthy controls. P value of <0.05 was taken as significant. Results: Mean age of the CKD and control subjects were 49 ± 14 years and 52 ± 13 years respectively. Ninety (90%) of CKD subjects had anaemia, significantly higher than 26(28.8%) in the control group (P = 0.000). The proportion of CKD subjects with leukocytosis was significantly higher than the control subjects (P = 0.007). There was no significant difference in the proportion of CKD and control subjects with thrombocytopenia (P = 0.64). The mean cell volume was significantly lower in the CKD group compared to the control subjects (P = 0.000) . Severity of anaemia was significantly associated with CKD stage (P = 0.000) but not with etiology (P = 0.27). Conclusion: Anaemia was highly prevalent in our pre-dialysis CKD patients and was significantly associated with CKD stage. White cell count was also significantly higher in the CKD subjects and this may reflect increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.