Kidney function status in Nigerian patients with co- morbidity of diabetes mellitus and malaria

Abstract

This study was carried out to investigate the kidney function status of patients with co-morbidity of diabetes mellitus and malaria in Benin metropolis, Southern Nigeria, to ascertain if there is any significant renal dysfunction in them. Serum levels of urea and creatinine were assayed from a total of 80 subjects (40 test subjects and 40 control subjects) of both sexes with their age ranging from 40-76 years. The 40 test subjects were known diabetics that presented in the clinic with symptoms of malaria infection. Results obtained reveal a statistically significant increase (P< 0.05) in serum creatinine and urea levels in the test subjects (482.06±40.54μmol/L; 12.03±0.32mmol/L, respectively) when compared to that of the control
(84.23±7.95 μmol/L; 4.60±0.34 mmol/L, respectively), irrespective of sex, age, degree of parasitaemia and fasting blood sugar. The increase in serum creatinine level was however significantly higher (P< 0.05) in the males when compared to the females. The urea:creatinine ratio of the test subjects (0.02±0.01 : 1) apart from being significantly less than (P<0.05) that of the control subjects (0.05±0.04 : 1) also fell within the range in keeping with patients with intrinsic renal failure (<0.04 : 1) as opposed to those with post-renal/normal (0.04 - 0.1 : 1) and pre-renal (>0.1 : 1) renal failure. Analyses of the results indicate that there is significant renal dysfunction in patients in Southern Nigeria with co-morbidity of diabetes mellitus and malaria.