title: Community-acquired acute kidney injury in adults in Africa.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We review recent published data on demographics, causes, diagnoses, treatment, and outcome of acute kidney injury (AKI) in Africa.
  
  
  METHODS
  A review of the incidence, etiology, diagnoses, and treatment of AKI in adults in Africa from studies published between the years 2000 and 2015.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of AKI in hospitalized patients in Africa ranges from 0.3 to 1.9% in adults. Between 70 and 90% of cases of AKI are community acquired. Most patients with AKI are young with a weighted mean age of 41.3 standard deviation (SD) 9.3 years, and a male to female ratio of 1.2 : 1.0. Medical causes account for between 65 and 80% of causes of AKI. This is followed by obstetric causes in 5 - 27% of cases and surgical causes in 2 - 24% of cases. In the reported studies, between 17 and 94% of patients who needed dialysis received this. The mortality of AKI in adults in Africa ranged from 11.5 to 43.5%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most reported cases of AKI in Africa originate in the community. The low incidence of hospital-acquired AKI is likely to be due to under ascertainment. Most patients with AKI in Africa are young and have a single precipitating cause. Prominent among these are infection, pregnancy complications and nephrotoxins. Early treatment can improve clinical outcomes.
authors.forename: Dwomoa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Adu
authors.forename: Perditer
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Okyere
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Boima
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matekole
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Osafo
mesh_terms: D058186:Acute Kidney Injury / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D000349:Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors