Etiology and outcome of acute renal failure in children in congo-brazzaville.

Acute renal failure (ARF) is a common problem in the Congo. This is a six-year retrospective study aiming at analyzing the etiology and the outcome of ARF at the Brazzaville's University Hospital from 1989 through 1994. One hundred and five cases of ARF (0.99%), including 54 boys (51.4%) and 51 girls (48.6%), out of 10,512 children admitted in the department of Pediatrics have been recorded. ARF represented 13.09% of the causes in 802 patients with renal disorder. The main etiologies of ARF included acute gastroenteritis with dehydration (25.7%), nephrotic syndrome (14.7%), sepsis (15.23%), malaria (12.38%), and acute glomerulonephritis (9.5%). Most cases were managed conservatively, while peritoneal dialysis (PD) was used in eight cases (7.62%). The outcome of ARF was recovery in 50.5 %, death in 37 % and chronic renal failure in 12.5% of cases. Preventive measures may help in reducing the high mortality rate and the need for dialysis.