Prevalence of chronic kidney disease among young people living with HIV in Sub Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background. Globally, the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing among young people living with HIV (YPLHIV), with inconsistent estimates. Aggregated data on the prevalence of CKD are needed in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to inform strategies for early diagnosis and management. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the pooled prevalence of CKD among YPLHIV in SSA. Methods. We searched Medline/PubMed, EMBASE, African Index Medicus, and African Journals Online for articles reporting the prevalence of CKD among YPLHIV in SSA using predefined search strategies up to 15th January 2024. The reference lists of identified articles were checked for additional eligible studies. The eligibility criteria were studies among YPHLIV aged 10-24 years reporting CKD prevalence defined by either glomerular filtration rate (GFR), albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) or proteinuria. We used a narrative synthesis to report differences between the included studies. The DerSimonian-Liard random effects model was used to pool the CKD prevalence, and heterogeneity was assessed using the Cochrane Q-test and I-squared values. We assessed the risk of bias in each article using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist and publication bias in a funnel plot and Egger’s test. Results. Of 802 retrieved articles, 16 fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. Of these, 13 (86.7%) were cross-sectional studies that used estimated GFR to diagnose CKD. Only two studies followed the standard definition of CKD. The pooled CKD prevalence was 12.1% (95% CI 6.5-19.2%), ranging from 0.8% to 53.1% according to the definition used, with a high degree of heterogeneity (I2=97.5%, p<0.001). The included studies were of moderate quality, with no evidence of publication bias. Sensitivity analysis showed that the findings were robust to the methodological and analytic approach. Conclusion. CKD prevalence among YPLHIV is moderately high and highly heterogeneous across SSA. The standard definition of CKD should be used to enable estimation of CKD prevalence in different studies and settings. HIV programs enrolling YPLHIV should routinely screen for CKD to ensure early diagnosis and management. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement The author(s) received no specific funding for this work. ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: N/A I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files. [https://discover.lshtm.ac.uk/discovery/search?vid=44HYG\_INST:44HYG\_VU1][1] [1]: https://discover.lshtm.ac.uk/discovery/search?vid=44HYG_INST:44HYG_VU1