KIDNEY FUNCTION IN ARTHRITIS
Ikpe Vitalis
Department of Biochemistry
Caritas University, Amorji-Nike, Enugu
Email: vitalis.ikpe@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT:
Arthritis is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease associated with potentially debilitating joint inflammation. Sixty-six blood samples were collected into plain bottles from arthritis patients (33 males and 33 females, aged 30-55yrs) and another sixty-six samples from non-arthritis subjects (33 males and 33 females, aged 30-55yrs) as controls. These samples were analysed for sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate, urea and creatinine concentrations. The concentration of sodium was 138.5±7.5mmol/l for control and 132.5 4.5mmol/l for arthritis patients, potassium concentration was 3.75 1.25mmol/l for controls and 4.25 .75mmol/l for arthritis patients, chloride concentration was 102 6.0 mmol/l for control subjects and 100 5.0mmol/l for arthritis patients, bicarbonate concentration was 24 4.0mmol/l for controls and 22.5 3.5m mol/l for arthritis subjects. Urea concentration was 3.85 2.35mmol/l for non-arthritis subjects and 11.85 4.55mmol/l for arthritis patients while creatinine concentration was 88.4 442 mol/l for non-arthritis subjects and 283 115 mol/l for arthritis subjects. These results show statistically significant increases in potassium, urea and creatinine concentrations and decreased levels of sodium, chloride and bicarbonate in arthritis. It is therefore recommended that kidney function assessment should be incorporated in the treatment and management profile of arthritis patients.
Keywords: kidney function, assessment, arthritis, alteration.
