Causes and prevalence of acute kidney injury in pregnancy regarding to pregnancy-related problems: single-center study

The prevalence of acute renal failure during pregnancy varies from country to country. Although the prevalence of acute kidney injury (AKI) during pregnancy has decreased in recent years, it is still one of the most leading causes of mortality in pregnant women. Due to the lack of accurate data in this field in Sistan and Baluchestan province, this study was performed aimed to investigate the causes and prevalence of AKI in pregnant women referred to Ali Ibn Abitaleb Hospital in Zahedan.

This cross-sectional descriptive and retrospective study was performed on 15397 files of pregnant women referred to Ali Ibn Abitaleb Hospital in Zahedan in 2017-2018. The files of patients with at least 2 times of creatinine higher than 0.87 and/or oligoanuria longer than 12 hours were evaluated. Among them, 318 cases diagnosed with AKI entered the study; meanwhile, various causes of AKI in pregnancy were studied. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 20) and student t-test and Mann-Whitney test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Among 15397 live births during one year, 318 cases of AKI (2.065%) and 39 patients (12.26%) required dialysis; in addition, 20 (6.28%) cases of death were reported. The most common causes of renal failure were preeclampsia (34%), sepsis (18.6%) and hemorrhagic shock (13.8%).

The prevalence of AKI in pregnant women in Ali Ibn Abitaleb Hospital of Zahedan was high. The most important causes were preeclampsia, sepsis and hemorrhagic shock and a significant number of them needed dialysis. The maternal mortality rate was also relatively high. Due to the high rate of birth in this province and the risk of AKI, health control of pregnant women should be performed with more accuracy and attention.