Observations in a Saudi-Arabian dialysis population over a 13-year period

Abstract

In contrast to Europe and the USA, data concerning dialysis treatment in Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia are lacking. We therefore studied 325 patients (150 females and 175 males) in one dialysis centre over a 13-year period. The number of primary renal diseases of uncertain aetiology and of pyelo/interstital nephritis caused by renal stone disease was high (46% and 4.9% resp.), that of diabetic nephropathy (14.8%) not much different from EDTA figures, while adult polycystic kidney disease was seen in only four patients (1.2%, versus EDTA: 5.5%). Sixty-one percent needed antihypertensive medication to control the blood pressure, less than reported by the EDTA. Nineteen patients (5.8%) had pericarditis, 38% radiographic signs of renal bone disease and eight patients required parathyroidectomy. Only two patients had carpal tunnel syndrome. Over the 13-year period the number of HBsAg-positive patients was 14%, reflecting the high prevalence of this disease in the country, but in the last 4-5 years the incidence dropped markedly (3% in 1993). In 1993, 40% of the 67 patients on dialysis had hepatitis C (HCV) antibodies of which 19 (70%) were HCV-RNA positive. Although tuberculosis (mainly extra-pulmonary) was common (9.2%), no patient died because of this disease. Cardiovascular factors contributed in the same degree to the causes of death as in Europe: 63% versus 62%. One hundred and fourteen patients (35%) had a successful kidney transplant.

Tuberculosis in Active Dialysis Patients in Jeddah

“…The majority of our patients had pulmonary tuberculosis similar to the findings of Al-Homrany in Abha, Saudi Arabia [2], but different from other studies [10,11]. Three of our patients were HBsAg positive (1.4%) and 2 (0.9%) were HCV antibody positive.…”

Holiday haemodialysis and imported hepatitis C virus infection: A series of sixteen cases in two large haemodialysis units

“…The seroprevalence of HCV in haemodialysis centres in the Asian and Indian Subcontinent has been reported to be high. 4,5,6,25,26 Limited health care resource is a major constraint to the safety of haemodialysis in some countries especially in the Indian Subcontinent. Transmission of blood borne viruses can also occur in those countries through contaminated blood because it is not mandatory for laboratories to be accredited or to engage in external quality assurance schemes.…”

Microalbuminuria and Associated Factors in Bahraini Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

“…[4][5][6][7] The limited data available on the prevalence of nephropathy in Middle East patients with DM suggest that their risk may also be high. 8,9 Information about nephropathy among Bahraini diabetic patients is scarce, despite the fact that Zubra and Al Garf 10 recently reported that type 2 DM affected over 25% of adult patients attending primary health care centers in the country, and a further 14.7% had impaired glucose tolerance. In view of these facts, we investigated the prevalence of microalbuminuria, as well as the factors associated with it, in Bahraini patients with type 2 DM seen at the diabetic unit of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) Hospital.…”