Prevalence of protenuria and associated risk factors among diabetic patients at Nebbi General Hospital, Nebbi District

Abstract

Persistent proteinuria is a marker of kidney damage and helps with the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy. Diabetic nephropathy is a public health concern of increasing proportions. A cross sectional study was therefore designed to determine the prevalence of proteinuria and its associated risk factors among diabetic patients at Nebbi General Hospital. Data was collected from a hospital based screening of 198 diabetic patients that were randomly selected. Proteinuria was defined as any dipstick positive for protein (≥1 g/l) on random urine samples. Researcher-guided questionnaire was also administered to gather data on risk factors associated with proteinuria in diabetes. Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were used to determine relation or association between variables and p-value≤ 0.05 was considered significant. The prevalence of proteinuria among diabetic patients was 17.2%. The risk factors associated with proteinuria among diabetic patients at Nebbi General Hospital were: hypertension (BP>140/90mm/Hg) OR=17.20 (95%CI: 3.810-21.08; p=0.017), BMI >25.9 kg/m² OR=1.298 (CI:1.237-7.107; p=0.0164), high random blood sugar (RBS) >8.8mmol/l OR=1.47 (95%CI: 1.067-16.329; p=0.004), long known duration of diabetes >5 years OR=8.015 (95%CI:1.238-18.011; p=0.031), being married OR=6.424 (95%CI: 1.402- 29.440; p=0.016), cassava as staple food OR=0.726 (CI:0.265-1.992; p=0.534),age above 50 years OR=3.60 (95%CI: 1.021-21.800; p=0.018). Proteinuria is a health problem among diabetic patients at Nebbi General Hospital. The prevalence of proteinuria among diabetic patients at this study area was high as compared to reports across the globe. The risk factors of proteinuria among diabetic patients were hypertension (BP>140/90mm/Hg), high RBS >8.8mmol/l, age above 50 years, high BMI above 25 kg/m², long duration of diabetes >5 years, being married and cassava as staple food. The study therefore recommends that there should be routine screening for proteinuria among diabetes mellitus patients on regular basis for overweight, obesity, and hypertension. Routine public health education on diabetic diets to avoid consuming foods that may affect the regulation of blood sugar levels such as cassava. And the government to improve the health services to enable proper diagnosis and management of chronic kidney diseases especially for the diabetic patients.