Hematological Profile and Serum Potassium Level in Patients of Chronic Renal Failure at a Tertiary Health Care Center

Background: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) can be defined as an estimated glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) of less than ml/min/1.73 m2 for a minimum period of three months. CKD is commonly associated with various hematological abnormalities especially anemia. Aim: The present study was planned to assess the hematological variations in CKD patients as compared to healthy subjects. Method: Fifty patients diagnosed with CKD were enrolled for the study. Fifty age and sex-matched healthy subjects constituted the control group. Result: On comparison of the hematological profile, it was observed that all enrolled CKD patients were anemic with hemoglobin (Hb) less than 13g/dL in males and less than 12 g/dL in females. The mean Hb levels were as low as 7.50 + 1.55 g/dL (P< 0.0001). Correspondingly, the total RBC count of CKD patients was also low. It was also observed that the platelet count was slightly low among CKD patients. However, the mean level was comparable with the control group (P=NS). On further analysis, it was observed that among fifty CKD patients, 46% (n=23) suffered from severe anemia i.e. Hb < 7 gm/dL whereas 48% had moderate anemia i.e. Hb between 7-9.9 gm/dL. However, only 12 % (n=6) CKD patients suffered from thrombocytopenia i.e. platelets count < 1.50 lack/ cmm. Conclusion: Hematological abnormalities may lead to several associated morbidities and may pose a challenge for the maintenance of overall health status for CKD patients. Hence, there is a need to monitor the hematological profile of CKD patients especially those on dialysis so that any abnormality can be detected and managed accordingly. Keywords: Chronic kidney disease, Anemia, Hematological changes, Potassium, Platelets.