Abstract
Introduction. The purpose of this preliminary study is to describe the clinical, paraclinical, and evolutionary profiles of gold miner patients with kidney failure hospitalized in the nephrology and haemodialysis service in the Yalgado Ouédraogo University Hospital of Ouagadougou (CHU-YO). Patients and Methods. This was a longitudinal and descriptive study with a retrospective collection of data for the period from February 1, 2013, to March 31, 2018. Included were all gold miner patients who stayed and worked at an artisanal gold mining site for at least three months and who were diagnosed with acute or chronic kidney failure during hospitalization in the nephrology service. We collected sociodemographic, clinical, and paraclinical variables at admission and then three months later. Results We included 50 patients; all were male and the average age was 29.4 ± 7.7 years. All patients were exposed to mercury and/or cyanide for an average of 4.5 ± 2.8 years. The average consultation/referral time for patients at the CHU-YO was 25.4 ± 14.9 days. The average of creatininemia was 2338.0 ± 791.4 μmol/L. Kidney failure was acute in five cases (10%) and chronic in the remaining 45 cases or 90%. Extrarenal purification was indicated in 43 cases (86%). It was not performed in nine of the 43 cases due to lack of financial resources for patients (six cases) or death prior to the onset of haemodialysis (three cases). Thirty-two of the 50 patients in the study (64% of cases) died. Conclusion Chronic kidney failure in gold miners appears to be common and late-managed. A prospective study of kidney disease and its causes at gold mining sites and surrounding areas will assess the extent of the problem in the country and better clarify the prevention of these diseases in our country.
Highlights
Artisanal mining or gold mining is a type of mining that has a negative impact on the environment and on human health [1]
We collected a total of 52 files of gold miner patients who were selected for the diagnosis of acute renal failure (ARF) or CRF. is represented 0.01% of the 4452 patients hospitalized in the nephrology and haemodialysis service of the CHU-YO during the study period
We received 50 gold miners in hospital with a RF that was chronic and already severe at admission in 45 cases, in the only nephrology service in the country until 2017. is frequency, which we consider to be high, is most likely underestimated—CRF can remain symptomatically silent for a long time—if we refer to the national level because not all cases reach hospitals. is means that the prevalence of chronic kidney disease is most likely higher in gold mining areas than in the general population of Burkina Faso
Summary
Artisanal mining or gold mining is a type of mining that has a negative impact on the environment and on human health [1]. Considering the high risk of water and soil pollution from gold mining sites and surrounding areas with mercury and cyanide [4], the prevalence of chronic kidney disease could explode in the medium to long term in the country. We undertook this preliminary descriptive work on the International Journal of Nephrology clinical, paraclinical, and evolutionary profiles of gold miner patients with KF with the aim of guiding future lines of research on this problem already emerging as a public health problem in Burkina Faso
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