National survey found that managing childhood nephrotic syndrome in Nigeria varied widely and did not comply with the best evidence.

AIM: This study explored any variations in managing childhood nephrotic syndrome between specialist centres in Nigeria and how closely the care reflected the best available evidence.

METHODS

In 2016, the heads of Nigerian paediatric nephrology units were asked to complete a study questionnaire that focused on managing nephrotic syndrome.

RESULTS

Of the 31 clinicians we approached, 81% returned the completed questionnaire. The majority (64%) had received paediatric nephrology training and 40% had practised for at least 10 years. We found that 60% prescribed an initial daily prednisolone for four weeks before reducing the dose and 32% prescribed it for six weeks. However, more marked variations were observed with the total steroid duration for new-onset nephrotic syndrome, with 16%, 44% and 40% prescribing prednisolone for 8, 12 and at least 16 weeks, respectively. Similarly, 56% prescribed prednisolone for less than eight weeks before diagnosing steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) and 12% rarely requested a kidney biopsy for SRNS. In addition, 32% of the respondents preferred cyclophosphamide to calcineurin inhibitors for SRNS.

CONCLUSION

There were significant variations in the management of childhood nephrotic syndrome in Nigeria and the diagnosis and treatment of SRNS differed substantially from the best available evidence.