End Stage Renal Disease among Patients Undergoing Haemodialysis at a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease is defined as structural or functional damage of the kidney persisting for three or more months. Studies have shown hypertension and diabetes as the leading causes of chronic kidney disease. The aim of this study is to find out the prevalence of end-stage renal disease patients undergoing haemodialysis in a tertiary care hospital. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among 96 patients undergoing haemodialysis from February 13, 2021 to April 4, 2021 in the hemodialysis unit of a tertiary care centre after receiving ethical clearance from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 354). Convenience sampling was done and all patients older than 18 years who were on maintenance haemodialysis on an outpatient basis were included in the study. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science version 22.0. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and percentages for binary data and mean with standard deviation for continuous data. Results: Among 96 patients undergoing haemodialysis, the prevalence of end-stage renal disease was 83 (86.45%) (79.60-93.30 at 95% Confidence Interval). The most common underlying condition was hypertensive nephropathy in 34 (40.96%) patients, followed by both hypertensive and diabetic nephropathy in 26 (31.33%) patients. Conclusions: The prevalence of end-stage renal disease in our study was higher when compared to similar studies conducted in similar settings. Early diagnosis and adequate treatment of hypertension and diabetes could be crucial to reducing the prevalence of the end-stage renal disease. Keywords: chronic kidney failure; chronic renal insufficiency; end stage renal disease; hemodialysis; Nepal.

Comparative Study of Serum Lipid Profiles in Nepalese Cancer Patients Attending a Tertiary Care Hospital

Significant efforts have been made to study cancer at the biochemical and cellular level and identify factors associated with progression. The aim of this hospital based randomized comparative study at the Nepalese Army Institute of Health science hospital was to assess factors in 52 people diagnosed with different types of cancer and 56 normal control persons. Fasting blood samples were analyzed for serum total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides (TG) and low density lipoprotein (LDL). We found that biochemical parameter TC, TG, VLDL (very low density lipoprotein), LDL and HDL were significantly different in the cancer patients and healthy controls. Levels of TC, TG, LDL, HDL and VLDL were higher in the age group below 50 and that of TG was found to be higher in women than men. Our results indicate that TC, TG and HDL are increased, while LDL and VLDL are lowered in cancer patients. Our study provides clues to risk factors associated with life style, eating habits, and exercise regimens. Monitoring of these parameters with aging is recommended.