TITLE:
Monitoring Frequency of Haemoglobin, Calcium and Phosphorus and the Impact on Correction in Patients on Maintenance Haemodialysis in Douala-Cameroon
AUTHORS:
Halle Marie Patrice, Kenfack Tatienou Orest Landry, Tatang Mambap Alex, Same Bebey Francine, Fouda Hermine, Ashuntantang Enow Gloria
KEYWORDS:
Monitoring, Haemoglobin, Phosphorus, Calcium, Haemodialysis, Douala
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nephrology,
Vol.12 No.3,
September
26,
2022
ABSTRACT: Background: There is scarcity of data on the actual frequency of routine blood work-up for patients on maintenance haemodialysis and how this affects the achievement of therapeutic goals in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to review these in a referral hospital in Cameroon. Methods: A prospective hospital-based cohort study carried out from November 2019 to April 2020 including patients on maintenance haemodialysis in Douala general hospital. Patients were followed during 6 months to determine the frequency of monitoring of haemoglobin, serum calcium and phosphorus. Targeted values for haemoglobin were ≥10 g/dL, 80 - 100 mg/L for serum calcium and 25 - 45 mg/L for serum phosphorus. Pearson correlation test was used to define the correlation between monitoring frequencies and blood values at the end of the study. Results: For all 154 patients included in the study, the median frequency of monitoring for haemoglobin was once every 8 week (IQR: 6 - 12) and once every 12 weeks (IQR: 8 - 24) for serum calcium and phosphorus. The proportion of patients who achieved haemoglobin, serum calcium and phosphorus targets at the end of the study were 27.4%, 63% and 74% respectively. No correlation was found between the frequency of monitoring and the haemoglobin, serum phosphorus and calcium levels at the end of the study. Conclusion: The frequency of monitoring of serum haemoglobin, calcium and phosphorus by patients in this study was low with a high prevalence of patients not achieving target value.