Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37878602›Full record

ArticlePloS one2023

Malaria is the leading cause of acute kidney injury among a Zambian paediatric renal service cohort retrospectively evaluated for aetiologies, predictors of the need for dialysis, and outcomes.

Chisambo Mwaba, Sody Munsaka, Bruce Bvulani, David Mwakazanga, Brian Chanda Chiluba, Kaiser Fitzwanga, Evans Mpabalwani

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.8field-weighted citation impact, top 15% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Malaria-Associated Acute Kidney Injury: A Key Driver of Mortality in Endemic Regions.International journal of nephrology and renovascular disease · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Application of a Non-Targeted Metabolomics Study inInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Article
  5. Review
  6. Observational
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Chisambo MwabaDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, School of Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.ORCID 0000-0003-3595-6291
Sody MunsakaDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, School of Health Sciences, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.
Bruce BvulaniDepartment of Paediatric Surgery, University Teaching Hospitals-Adult Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia.
David MwakazangaDepartment of Public Health, Tropical Diseases Research Centre, 6-7th Floors Ndola Teaching Hospital, Ndola, Zambia.
Brian Chanda ChilubaDepartment of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.
Kaiser FitzwangaDepartment of Paediatrics, Intensive Care Unit, Windhoek Central Hospital, Windhoek, Namibia.
Evans MpabalwaniDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, School of Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.
University Teaching Hospital · ZMUniversity of Zambia · ZMNational Art Gallery of Namibia · NATropical Diseases Research Centre · ZM

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWhilst malaria is a prominent aetiology associated with acute kidney injury (AKI) in many parts of Africa, a shift in the traditional AKI aetiologies has been witnessed in sections of the continent. Additionally, limited access to dialysis worsens patient outcomes in these low-resource settings. This retrospective cross-sectional study aimed to determine the associated aetiologies, predictors of need for dialysis and malaria-associated AKI (MAKI), and outcomes of AKI and dialysis among children evaluated by the renal service in Lusaka, Zambia.

methodsThe study sampled all children aged 16 years or below, diagnosed with AKI between 2017 and 2021, by the renal unit at the University Teaching Hospitals- Children's Hospital (UTH-CH), and retrospectively abstracted their records for exposures and outcomes. AKI was defined using the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) 2012 criteria. Frequency and percentage distributions were used to describe the occurrence of AKI aetiologies and treatment outcomes. Predictors of the need for dialysis, MAKI, and poor treatment outcome were identified by using multivariable logistic regression models.

resultsA total of 126 children diagnosed with AKI were included in this study. Malaria was the most frequent aetiology of AKI(61.1% (77/126, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 52.0%-69.7%)). Of the 126 children with AKI, 74.6% (94) underwent dialysis. Predictors of the need for dialysis were oliguria (p = 0.0024; Odds ratio (OR) = 7.5, 95% CI: 2.1-27.7) and anuria (p = 0.0211; OR = 6.4, 95% CI = 1.3, 30.7). A fifth (18.3%, 23/126) of the children developed chronic kidney disease (CKD), 5.6% (7/126) died and, a year later, 77% (97/126) were lost to follow-up.

conclusionAt UTH-CH, malaria is the most frequent aetiology among children with AKI undergoing dialysis and children from low-medium malaria incidence areas are at risk; a considerable proportion of children with AKI need dialysis and Tenchoff catheter use in AKI is advocated.

Indexed as

Acute Kidney InjuryMalariaChildCross-Sectional StudiesHumansRenal DialysisRetrospective StudiesRisk FactorsZambia

Identifiers

PMID37878602
PMCPMC10599569
OpenAlexW4387935219

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.