The rapid introduction and evolution of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), and large language models (LLMs) combined with the emergence of ...text-generating chatbots have ushered in a transformative era in scholarly publishing.
Data on 25 OH vitamin D and intact parathyroid hormone iPTH in hemodialysis patients are very limited in sub-Saharan African countries. The present study aimed to assess the magnitude of ...hypovitaminosis D, and to evaluate the achievement of iPTH KDIGO 2017 targets among chronic hemodialysis patients followed in Kinshasa.
We conducted a multicenter cross-sectional study in 6 hospitals in Kinshasa. All patients followed on hemodialysis for more than 3 months were included. Hypovitaminosis D was defined as <30 ng/mL (insufficiency = 20-29 ng/mL; deficiency if <20 ng/mL) and the targets for iPTH values were based on the 2017 KDIGO guidelines. The determinants for hypovitaminosis D were evaluated by logistic regression.
251 patients mean age 56 ± 14 years, 72.5% men, 63% hypertensive, 31% diabetic, 100% supplemented with native 25 OH vitamin D + CaCO3 were included. Hypovitaminosis D was found in 79.7% (deficiency 47.4%) and was associated with the male gender aOR 2.7 1.4-5.2, p = 0.004, the low-permeability dialyzer 2.2 1.1-4.2, p = 0.025 and anemia 3.9 1.2-12.7, p = 0.022. Only 40% of patients with 25 OH vitamin D deficiency had iPTH according to KDIGO targets vs 6% of patients with severe hyperparathyroidism (iPTH > 600 pg/mL), 45% with levels between 16 and 150 pg/mL and 9% a iPTH ≤ 15 pg/mL.
Despite a sunny environment, a large proportion of Congolese hemodialysis patients have hypovitaminosis D, in particular a deficiency. Among them, less than half have target iPTH values. These results show the benefit of regular monitoring of these parameters in order to optimize treatment.
Chronic illnesses are a major public health problem in low-income countries. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), few data are available, especially in palliative care. In this context, the ...present study aimed at describing the patterns of diseases in Kinshasa hospitals as well as risk factors associated with patients' evolving status and length of hospital stay.
A prospective study was conducted in ten hospitals of Kinshasa, over a 1-year period. A total of 2699 patients with a chronic condition (non-communicable diseases (NCD) and/or AIDS) were consecutively enrolled in the study between January and December, 2013.
Out of 2699 patients studied, 36.9% were suffering from cardiovascular diseases, 29.7% from comorbidity and 17.5% from AIDS. 27.5% of patients died while hospitalized, and 67.4% were lost to follow-up. The risk factors independently associated with death in hospitals were AIDS (adjusted OR = 2.2) and age over 65 years old (adjusted OR = 1.7). Peri-urban and rural areas were significantly associated with a mean adjusted hospital stay longer than 3 days. The length of stay (LOS) was shorter for women and patients living in urban areas. Patients survived for a median of 10 days (range 7-20 days).
This study reveals the high proportion of patients suffering from advanced chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, AIDS and comorbidity. It demonstrates the need for palliative care (PC) in medical practices in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Introduction. Acute kidney injury (AKI) requiring renal replacement therapy is accompanied by considerable mortality. This present study evaluated predictors of mortality at initiation of ...hemodialysis (HD) in AKI patients in Goma (in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)). Methods. A single-centre cohort survey evaluated the clinical profile and survival rates of AKI patients admitted to HD in the only HD centre in Goma, North Kivu province (DRC). Data were collected from patients who underwent HD for AKI. Patient demographics, comorbidities, clinical presentation, laboratory tests, and mortality were reviewed and analyzed. The survival study used the Kaplan–Meier curve. Predictors of mortality were evaluated using Cox regression. Results. Of the 131 eligible patients, the mean age was 43.69 ± 16.56 years (range: 18–90 years). Men represented 54.96% of the cohort. The overall HD mortality rate was 25.19% (n = 33). In multivariate analysis, independent predictors of mortality in AKI stage 3 patients admitted to HD were as follows: age ≥ 60 years (adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) = 15.89; 95% CI: 3.98–63.40; p<0.0001), traditional herbal medicine intake (AHR = 5.10; 95% CI: 2.10–12.38; p<0.0001), HIV infection (AHR = 5.55; 95% CI: 1.48–20.73; p=0.011), anemia (AHR = 9.57; 95% CI: 2.08–43.87; p=0.004), hyperkalemia (AHR = 6.23; 95% CI: 1.26–30.72; p=0.025), respiratory distress (AHR = 4.66; 95% CI: 2.07–10.50; p<0.0001), and coma (AHR = 11.39; 95% CI: 3.51–36.89; p<0.0001). Conclusion. Initiation of hemodialysis with AKI has improved survival in patients with different complications.
Despite the growing incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) worldwide, there is little data on the burden and outcomes of AKI in intensive care unit (ICU) in low resource settings. The present study ...assessed the incidence of AKI and its impact on mortality in ICU in Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo).
In a prospective cohort study, 476 consecutive critically ill patients (mean age 52 years, 57 % male) were screened for the presence of AKI in seven ICU from January 1st to March 30th, 2015. Serum creatinine was measured by the enzymatic method (Cobas C111 device®). AKI and its stages (no AKI, AKI 1, AKI 2 and AKI 3) were defined according to AKIN recommendations. The primary outcome was 28 days mortality. Survival (time-to death) curves were built using the Kaplan Meier methods. Predictors of mortality were assessed by Cox proportional hazards regression models. p < 0.05 defined the level of statistical significance.
The cumulative incidence of AKI was 52.7 % with AKI stage 1, 2 and 3 in 23.7 %, 16.2 % and 12.8 % of patients, respectively. Among patients who developed AKI, 146 died (58 %) vs 62 patients (28 %) in the group without AKI. Only 6.5 % of the patients with AKI stage 3 benefited from dialysis. Median survival time was 15.0 days in patients without AKI and 3.0 days, 6.0 days and 8.0 days in patients with AKI stage 3, 2 and 1 (p < 0.001), respectively. In addition to respiratory distress-induced polypnea (HRa 1.60; 95 % CI: 1.08-2.37; p = 0.018), oxygen desaturation (HRa 1.53; 95 % CI: 1.13-2.08; p = 0.006) and multi-organic involvement (HRa 1.63; 95 % CI: 1.15-2.30), AKI emerged as an independent predictor of death (HRa 1.82; 95 % CI: 1.34-2.48; p < 0.001).
More than half of critically ill patients in the present cohort developed AKI which contributed substantially to short-term mortality, highlighting the need for its prevention, early detection and management as well as the availability of dialysis in ICU.
In symptomatic patients, the diagnostic approach of COVID-19 should be holistic. We aimed to evaluate the concordance between RT-PCR and serological tests (IgM/IgG), and identify the factors that ...best predict mortality (clinical stages or viral load).
The study included 242 patients referred to the University hospital of Kinshasa for suspected COVID-19, dyspnea or ARDS between June 1st, 2020 and August 02, 2020. Both antibody-SARS-CoV2 IgM/IgG and RT-PCR method were performed on the day of admission to hospital. The clinical stages were established according to the COVID-19 WHO classification. The viral load was expressed by the CtN2 (cycle threshold value of the nucleoproteins) and the CtE (envelope) genes of SARS- CoV-2 detected using GeneXpert. Kappa test and Cox regression were used as appropriate.
The GeneXpert was positive in 74 patients (30.6%). Seventy two patients (29.8%) had positive IgM and 34 patients (14.0%) had positive IgG. The combination of RT-PCR and serological tests made it possible to treat 104 patients as having COVID-19, which represented an increase in cases of around 41% compared to the result based on GeneXpert alone. The comparison between the two tests has shown that 57 patients (23.5%) had discordant results. The Kappa coefficient was 0.451 (p < 0.001). We recorded 23 deaths (22.1%) among the COVID-19 patients vs 8 deaths (5.8%) among other patients. The severe-critical clinical stage increased the risk of mortality vs. mild-moderate stage (aHR: 26.8, p < 0.001). The values of CtE and CtN2 did not influence mortality significantly.
In symptomatic patients, serological tests are a support which makes it possible to refer patients to the dedicated COVID-19 units and treat a greater number of COVID-19 patients. WHO Clinical classification seems to predict mortality better than SARS-Cov2 viral load.
metabolic abnormalities are key factors in urolithiasis patients because they can be modified to prevent the risk of urinary stones. The objectives of this study were to estimate the frequency of ...metabolic abnormalities in the urine of patients with urolithiasis and to determine their possible link with the chemical composition of stones.
we conducted a cross-sectional study evaluating 73 patients referred for urolithiasis in 8 clinics in Kinshasa, between January 2017 and September 2019. Twenty four-hour or early morning urine were collected and analyzed in the Tenon Hospital in Paris. Parameters analyzed included pH, specific gravity, creatinine, uric acid, calcium, phosphate, oxalate, citrate and magnesium. Chi square test or chi-square likelihood-ratio and student's t test were used as statistical tests.
overall, 89% (n=65) of patients with lithiasis had metabolic abnormalities. Mean (SD) age of patients was 47.0 (14.2) years with male to female ratio of 1.6: 1. The mean (SD) 24-hour diuresis was 1836.4 (1216.9) ml; the mean (SD) urine density was 1.018 (0.007); and the mean (SD) pH was 6.1(0.8). Hypocitraturia was the most frequently observed metabolic abnormality and was found in 76.7% patients. Other significant metabolic abnormalities were low magnesuria (35.6%), hyperoxaluria (11%), and low sulphaturia (74%). Whewellite (73.5%) was the main chemical component. The mean pH was higher in patients with carbapatite and struvite stones (p=0.031).
this study suggests that inadequate diuresis and hypocitraturia were important lithogenic factors. The population should be encouraged to increase water intake to limit the frequency of urine super saturation with crystals.
Cardiovascular (CV) disease is the leading cause of mortality in patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). The aim of the present study was to determine whether Proprotein Convertase ...Subtilisin/Kexin type 9 (PCSK9) could be an independent predictor of CV events and all-cause mortality in black African haemodialysis patients.
We carried out a prospective cohort study of all consecutive hemodialysis (HD) patients between August 2016 and July 2020, admitted in six hemodialysis centers of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Independent determinants of plasma PCSK-9 measured by ELISA were sought using multiple linear regression analysis. Kaplan-Meier's method described the incidence of CV events while competitive and proportional risk models looked for independent risk factors for death at the .05 significance level.
Out of 207 HD patients, 91 (43.9%) died; 116 (56.1%) have survived. PCSK9 level was significantly higher in deceased patients compared to survivors: 28.0 (24.0-31.0) ng/l vs 9.6 (8.6-11.6) ng/ml (p < 0.001). Patients with plasma PCSK9 levels in tertile 3 had a higher incidence of CV events and mortality compared to patients with plasma PCSK9 levels in tertile 2 or tertile 1 (p < 0.001). Tertile 3 negatively influence survival rates (26.6%) compared to tertile 2 (54.7%) and tertile 1 (85.3%). Patients in tertile 3 and tertile 2 had a 4-fold higher risk of death than patients in tertile 1. After adjustment for all parameters, competitive risk analysis showed that mortality was 2 times higher in patients with stroke. Similarly, serum albumin < 3.5 g/dL or PCSK9 in tertile 3 were respectively associated with 2 or 6 times higher rates of deaths.
Elevated plasma PCSK9 level is an independent major predictor of incident CV events and all-cause mortality in black African HD patients.
Most studies of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have been conducted in urban settings. They relied on GFR estimated from serum creatinine alone and on the inexpensive, ...convenient urinary dipstick to assess proteinuria. The dipstick for proteinuria has not been directly compared with the gold standard albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) in a large-sized study in SSA. We hereby assessed the influence of rural versus urban location on the level, interpretation, and diagnostic performance of proteinuria dipstick versus ACR.
In a cross-sectional population-based study of CKD in both urban (n = 587) and rural (n = 730) settings in South-Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), we assessed the prevalence, performance (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value) and determinants of a positive dipstick proteinuria as compared with albuminuria (ACR). Albuminuria was subdivided into: A1 (< 30 mg/g creatinine), A2 (30 to 299 mg/g creatinine) and A3 (≥ 300 mg/g creatinine).
The overall prevalence of positive dipstick proteinuria (≥ 1+) was 9.6 % (95 % CI, 7.9-11.3) and was higher in rural than in urban residents (13.1 % vs. 4.8 %, p < 0.001), whereas the prevalence of albuminuria (A2 or A3) was similar in both sites (6 % rural vs. 7.6 % urban, p = 0.31). In both sites, dipstick proteinuria ≥ 1 + had a poor sensitivity (< 50 %) and positive predictive value (< 11 %) for the detection of A2 or A3. The negative predictive value was 95 %. Diabetes aOR 6.12 (1.52-24.53) was a significant predictor of A3 whereas alkaline aOR 7.45 (3.28-16.93) and diluted urine aOR 2.19 (1.35-3.57) were the main predictors of positive dipstick proteinuria.
ACR and dipstick proteinuria have similar positivity rates in the urban site whereas, in the rural site, dipstick was 2-fold more often positive than ACR. The poor sensitivity and positive predictive value of the dipstick as compared with ACR makes it unattractive as a screening tool in community studies of CKD in SSA.
Microalbuminuria is a marker of early kidney disease and high cardiovascular risk in various populations, including HIV positive patients. However, the diagnostic value of qualitative (dipstick) ...proteinuria and the burden of microalbuminuria in HIV positive patients living in sub-Saharan Africa are relatively unclear.
In a cross-sectional study, 235 HIV- positive outpatients were screened for proteinuria in 3 HIV-clinics in Bukavu. A spot urine sample from each subject was tested both by a dipstick and albumin-creatinine-ratio (ACR) assay. The performance of dipstick proteinuria exceeding 1+ was compared with that of microalbuminuria (≥ 30 mg/g creatinine).
The prevalence of microalbuminuria and dipstick proteinuria ≥ (1+), ≥ (2+) and ≥ (3+) was 11%, 41%, 3.5% and 0.7%, respectively.Compared to microalbuminuria, the dipstick (proteinuria of 1+ or greater) had an overall sensitivity of 60% and a specificity of 61%. The positive predictive value was 15.4% and the negative predictive value 92.8%.
Proteinuria is highly prevalent in HIV positive patients. The limited sensitivity and specificity of the dipstick to detect significant microalbuminuria make it unattractive as a screening tool in HIV positive patients.
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