Paediatric Nephrotic Syndrome at Gabriel Touré University Hospital, Mali: A 30-Month Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is biologically defined by hypoalbuminemia below 30 g/L and proteinuria above 50 mg/kg/day or above 200 g/mol of urinary creatinine in a sample. It is one of the most common glomerular nephropathies occurring in children between the ages of 2 and 7, often following an infectious or allergic trigger. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study over a 30-month period from January 1, 2018, to June 30, 2020, among children aged 0 to 15 years admitted to the pediatric department of the Gabriel TOURE University Hospital for nephrotic syndrome. Results: Over the 30-month period, we collected 65 files that met the inclusion criteria out of a total of 19,047 hospitalizations, representing a hospitalization rate of 0.34%. The average age was 7.15 ± 3.92, with extremes ranging from 1 to 14 years. The sex ratio was 2.82. Twenty-four-hour proteinuria was between 100 and 200 mg/kg/day in 64.6% of cases, and 4.7% had proteinuria greater than 300 mg/kg/day. All children received corticosteroid therapy. Conclusion: NS is the most common kidney disease in children. Early treatment with corticosteroids and rigorous follow-up are essential, but remain difficult to implement in resource-limited settings.