Renal Doppler Velocimetric Indices among Adult Seropositive Viral Hepatitis Patients Attending Tertiary Care Facility in Kano State, Nigeria

Context: Viral hepatitis is associated with an increased risk of renal disease leading to hepato-renal syndrome. Currently, urine and blood tests are the primary tools used to detect and monitor kidney disease among seropositive viral hepatitis patients. However, these biomarkers are affected by co-existing liver disease, age, and BMI, making their use unreliable in some patients with renal impairments. Renal Doppler sonography has been explored as a viable non-invasive alternative for the diagnosis of subclinical renal changes among asymptomatic patients with viral hepatitis. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate renal Doppler velocimetric indices of asymptomatic adult patients with viral hepatitis and compared Doppler values between carrier serotypes with correlations with prothrombin time (PT) at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano. Settings and Design: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional observational study conducted at the Radiology Department of AKTH. Materials and Method: This study was conducted between March 2022 and January 2023, among seropositive viral hepatitis patients grouped into acute hepatitis B (AHB), chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and chronic hepatitis C (CHC). The resistive index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI) for the different serotypes were obtained following renal Doppler sonography among study subjects. Also, PT was recorded for each serotype. Statistical Analysis Used: Relevant data obtained were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 23. The significance level was considered at P < 0.05. Results: The study had 153 patients. The resistive index (RI) was significantly higher among AHB than CHB serotypes, and PI was also higher among CHB than CHC serotypes − likewise, the PT. Positive correlations (r = 0.75, P = 0.01) and (r = 0.78, P = 0.01) were seen between RI and PT in both male and female patients, respectively. Conclusion: The RI, PI, and PT values were higher among acute and chronic hepatitis B serotypes than in chronic hepatitis C serotypes.