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Nephrology in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Nephrology Worldwide

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Abstract

Kidney disease in Black Africans appears to be more frequent, severe, and develops earlier in contrast to its occurrence in Caucasians. More than 10% of the Congolese urban population exhibits signs of chronic kidney disease, impacting adults in their productive years. Glomerular disease remains the leading cause followed by hypertension and diabetes. Acute kidney injury, however, is mainly due to acute infections (i.e., malaria, typhoid fever, sepsis) and/or toxicity (drugs and/or medicinal herbs). Late referral seriously undermines prognosis and chances of survival. With a population of 82 million, only 235 patients are currently on dialysis (230 on hemodialysis and 5 on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis; kidney transplant is not available) due to lack of health expenditure coverage whether private or public. This chapter aims to describe the epidemiology and management of kidney diseases (acute kidney injury as well as chronic kidney disease), highlighting the role of gene and environment interactions, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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Abbreviations

AA:

African American

ACPMAR:

Congolese renal failure patient association

AKI:

Acute kidney injury

CAPD:

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

CKD:

Chronic kidney disease

CKD-EPI:

Chronic kidney disease epidemiology

DFMSA:

Diplômes de Formation Médicale Spécialisée Approfondie

DRC:

Democratic Republic of the Congo

ESRD:

End-stage renal disease

FAS:

Full age spectrum

FSGS:

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis

GFR:

Glomerular filtration rate

HBV:

Hepatitis B virus infection

HCV:

Hepatitis C virus infection

HD:

Hemodialysis

ISN:

International Society of Nephrology

KUL:

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Catholic University of Leuven)

KT:

Kidney transplantation

mGFR:

Measured GFR (mGFR)

MPGN:

Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis

PD:

Peritoneal dialysis

RRT:

Renal replacement therapy

SOCONEPH:

Congolese Society of Nephrology

SSA:

Sub-Saharan Africa

USA:

United State of America

USD:

United State dollars

VLIR:

Vlaamse (Flemish) Interuniversitaire Raad

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank François Kaze (Cameroon), Ibrahim Hamat (Chad), Théophane Nzame Ze (Gabon), and Pamela Armella Ondele (Congo) for their contribution to collect data from their own country. They also thank François Lepira Bompeka for his contribution.

Conflict of Interest Statement

None declared

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Renal Unit, Kinshasa University Hospital, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

    Ernest Kiswaya Sumaili & Nazaire Mangani Nseka

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Kinshasa University Hospital, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

    Pépé Mfutu Ekulu

  3. Department of Pathology, Kinshasa University Hospital, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

    Nestor Muyulu Pakasa

  4. Department of Neurology, University of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA

    Desiré Tshala-Katumbay

Authors
  1. Ernest Kiswaya Sumaili
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  2. Pépé Mfutu Ekulu
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  3. Nestor Muyulu Pakasa
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  4. Desiré Tshala-Katumbay
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  5. Nazaire Mangani Nseka
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ernest Kiswaya Sumaili .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Brazilian Society of Nephrology, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

    José A. Moura-Neto

  2. Division of Renal Medicine, CLINTEC, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Stockholms Län, Sweden

    José Carolino Divino-Filho

  3. DIMED - University of Padova, Department Nephrology Dialysis & Transplantation, International Renal Research Institute (IRRIV), San Bortolo Hospital, Vicenza, Italy

    Claudio Ronco

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Sumaili, E.K., Ekulu, P.M., Pakasa, N.M., Tshala-Katumbay, D., Nseka, N.M. (2021). Nephrology in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In: Moura-Neto, J.A., Divino-Filho, J.C., Ronco, C. (eds) Nephrology Worldwide. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56890-0_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56890-0_3

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