The prevalence of renal impairment among adults with early HIV disease in Blantyre, Malawi

We determined the prevalence of renal impairment and possible HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) in adults with World Health Organization (WHO) stages I or II HIV, presenting to the antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinic in a central hospital in Malawi. We enrolled 526 ART-naïve subjects, 67% women, median age 34 (17–73) years and mean CD4 count 305 (3–993) cells/μL. Blood pressure, weight, urine dipstick and microscopy, CD4 cell count and serum creatinine were measured. Creatinine clearance (CrCL) was estimated using the Cockcroft–Gault equation. Possible HIVAN was diagnosed based on levels of proteinuria and CrCl. In all, 23.3% had proteinuria (≥1+). 57.4% had reduced CrCl (