title: Haemodialysis in an emerging centre in a developing country: a two year review and predictors of mortality.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Haemodialysis is the most common form of renal replacement therapy in Nigeria. The high cost of haemodialysis has made optimal therapy of end-stage renal disease difficult in Nigeria. This paper is a review of data collected over two years of provision of dialysis services in a new tertiary hospital in Southern Nigeria.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective analysis is done on data obtained from the patient case files and dialysis records in the first two years of provision of dialysis services in our centre. A gender comparison of the patients' baseline sociodemographic, clinical and biochemical was performed and a logistic regression model used to assess the predictors of mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 98 patients had 471 sessions in the two years under review. Males and females had similar characteristics at baseline except for a higher median serum urea in the males. The commonest causes of end-stage renal disease were chronic glomerulonephritis (34.5%), hypertension (32.1%) and diabetes mellitus (17.9%). The main predictor of mortality was under treatment with haemodialysis due to inability to pay for more than a few dialysis sessions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study has highlighted the unchanging demographics of our advanced kidney failure patients. Efforts should be aimed at subsidizing the cost of dialysis for our teeming population of dialysis dependent chronic kidney disease patients.
authors.affiliation: Haemodialysis Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Nigeria. udekrikpo@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Udeme E
authors.initials: UE
authors.lastname: Ekrikpo
authors.forename: Aniema I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Udo
authors.forename: Enobong E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Ikpeme
authors.forename: Emmanuel E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Effa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D006436:Hemodialysis Units, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000401:mortality* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D055815:Young Adult