The thesis explores the severity of diagnosed chronic kidney disease
(CKD) with particular reference to its impact in Edo state, Nigeria.
There has been a scarcity of studies on the prevalence and spatial
patterns of CKD in developing countries even though the costs of
treatment at the late stage of the disease are extremely expensive and
the inevitable outcome for the vast majority of sufferers is renal
failure. CKD is a growing problem in Nigeria, presenting challenges
to the nation’s health and economy. This thesis presents an analysis of
442 patients with CKD referred to the renal department at the
University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, which is currently the
only fully functioning CKD treatment centre in Edo state. The
research study evaluates the factors that are associated with the
severity of CKD in Edo State as well as the temporal and spatial
trends of diagnosed CKD across the state.
The results of this thesis highlights the spatial distribution of
diagnosed CKD and evaluates the likely predictors for the severity of
CKD at the time of diagnosis in Edo State by examining the sociodemographic
and known biological risk factors such as diagnosed
hypertension, and diabetes. It also highlights the areas of concern
regarding the spatial distribution of diagnosed CKD within the state.
Although there are attempts at raising the awareness of CKD across
the study area, many patients are still being diagnosed at the last stage
of the disease. This means that there is the probability that many cases
are left undetected until it is too late.
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The findings derived from this research study would be helpful both in
the policy-making decisions that pertain to the health sector and the
development of a healthcare accessibility model for CKD patients that
could be beneficial in the location of new healthcare centres.