Prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease in Diabetes Mellitus Patients Attended at Diagnostics Laboratory Services (DLS), Bulawayo, Zimbabwe January to October 2023

Abstract

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) are prevalent disorders. However, there is little study that has been done on the prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease among individuals having Diabetes Mellitus as an underlying condition, most particularly in developing countries such like Zimbabwe. The shared correlation between Diabetes Mellitus and Chronic Kidney Disease has to further be investigated on in order to effectively address the study gap and create strategized interventions that can change and or improve clinical outcomes for patients. The broad aim of the study is to; accurately assess the prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease in Diabetes Mellitus patients attended at Diagnostics Laboratory Service (DLS) laboratory in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. This study was a cross-sectional retrospective study. Data from January to October of 2023 was collected from the Diagnostics Laboratory Services laboratory, a Private laboratory in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Census sampling is the type of sampling approach employed in the study, as information was from the Laboratory's (DLS) database in the process, from which 109 laboratory reports pertaining to patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were collected. Information about the patient's age, ethnicity, gender, and residency, as well as a screening for whether patient was diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus, was extracted from the obtained laboratory reports. The data from the DLS Laboratories database, was exported to an Excel spread sheet, and then tabulated and presented in both tabular, graph and pie chart form in accordance with the study objectives and Questions. There were 109 participants in the study, 42% of whom were men and 58% of whom were women. Of the 109 participants in the study, 29% had typically normal eGFR readings and 71% had abnormal eGFR readings indicating different degrees of renal impairment. In the study 10% of the participants were aged >80 years old, 25% between 50 and 61 years old, 32% between 60 and 71 years old, 16% between 70 and 81 years old, and 7% between 17 and 41 years old. The study revealed that 28% of the participants were ethnically white and 72% of the participants were ethnically black. Of the 109 participants, 24% resided in rural areas and the other 76% in urban areas. Stage-by-stage differences were observed in the severity of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), with 21% in stage 3a, 14% in stage 4, 11% in stage 3b, and 5% in stage 5. Males and ethnically white participants had more severe Chronic Kidney Disease CKD than female and ethnically black participants. eGFR declined gradually with increasing age in both females and males. Compared to men, who had a prevalence of 30.26%, kidney failure affected women more frequently (40.35%). Those who ethnically black experienced renal failure at a higher rate (49.52%) than did those who ethnically white (21.11%). Undiagnosed Chronic Kidney Disease has frequently shown to be a major cause of concern in Diabetes Mellitus patients. The following characteristics of people with Diabetes Mellitus showed a substantial correlation with Chronic Kidney Disease: gender, age, race (black or white), and place of residence. With the use of eGFR readings with the aim to screen Chronic Kidney Disease, patients can be diagnosed at an earlier stage of the disease's progression and can get effective treatment to better manage the disease's severity.