Examining Socioeconomic Status of Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease Attending Renal Clinic in Southeast Nigeria: A Single Centre Experience.

BACKGROUND: There are few reports on socioeconomic status (SES) of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Nigeria and indeed Africa, South of the Sahara. Identifying SES as an important factor for disability in people with CKD would provide a means for early identification of those at risk and, possible intervention. OBJECTIVE: To determine the SES of CKD patients attending renal clinic in the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital. METHODS: Cross-sectional descriptive design was adopted using pretested questionnaire to elicit data on SES (age, place of residence, household asset ownership, source of drinking water; source of cooking energy; and type of toilet facility) from one hundred and forty-five (145) CKD patients attending renal clinic in the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital. Principal component analysis was used to classify the SES into five quintiles. RESULTS: Majority of the respondents (patients) in stages 4 and 5 CKD, constituting 17.2% and 39.3% respectively were from the lower SES. There was significant correlation between SES and age of the patients; place of residence; hypertension history; ownership of some household assets; source of drinking water; source of cooking energy; and type of toilet facility. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that many of our patients were from the lower SES. It is recommended that both governmental and non-governmental agencies should help these patients with some form of health insurance to alleviate their healthcare cost burden.