Microalbuminuria risks and glomerular filtration in children with sickle cell anaemia in Nigeria

Evidence of kidney damage is observed in children with sickle cell anaemia (SCA) and this continues through adulthood with progression to severe functional impairment in some. One of the earliest features of kidney damage associated with SCA is microalbuminuria. Our objective was to determine the risk factors of microalbuminuria in these children and its relationship with estimated glomerular filtration rate. This was a cross-sectional and comparative study involving three hundred and twenty three children with SCA in steady state and equal numbers of apparently healthy age and sex matched haemoglobin AA (HbAA) control, aged 6 months to 18 years. They were consecutively recruited over a 6 month period. Microalbuminuria was present in 26% of the study subjects compared with 1.85% of control P = 0.001). Anaemia and high estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) showed strong positive correlation with microalbuminuria (OR = 3.19, CI 0.953-1.116, p = 0.003 and OR = 1.7, CI 1.042-1.066, p = 0.001 respectively). Similarly, eGFR was higher in subjects with SCA than in controls and as well as in those with microalbuminuria compared with those who do not (p =