© 2020 Nigerian Medical Journal | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow 340 Abstract Original Article INTRODUCTION The prevalence of all stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) worldwide was 13.4%, whereas stages 3–5 CKD was 10.6% in the period 2000–2014. 1 With the continuing rise in prevalence and incidence, CKD has now become a significant public health problem. This increase in prevalence is mainly due to the rising incidence of hypertension and diabetes. Overall, CKD mortality has increased by 31.7% over the past 10 years, making it one of the fastest rising major causes of death, alongside diabetes and dementia. 2 The global burden of disease study estimated that there were about 1.2 million deaths attributable to CKD in 2016, with 82% of years of life lost. 3 The prevalence of CKD stages 1–5 range from 10.1% to 15.8% in the entire African continent; however, the prevalence was higher in sub‑Saharan Africa and among certain high‑risk groups such as hypertension (34.5%) and diabetes (24.7%). 4,5 Hemodialysis is the most common renal replacement therapy (RRT) modality in Africa and few countries enjoy reimbursement from government to fund RRT services. 6 There has been an upsurge of hemodialysis centers in countries like Nigeria, both in private and public hospitals, which are mostly concentrated in urban areas. Despite this seeming proliferation of hemodialysis centers, many end‑stage renal disease (ESRD) patients could not afford the optimum dose of hemodialysis in the country. 7 Objectives This is 7 years review of the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients requiring Hemodialysis at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital. Background: Hemodialysis is the most common renal replacement therapy (RRT) modality in Africa and few countries enjoy reimbursement from the government to fund it. Africa contributes <10% of the total RRT patients worldwide this is mainly due to high cost. Aims and Objectives: We aimed to review the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients requiring hemodialysis in our center over a 7 years period, to highlight the enormous challenges encountered. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients aged 15 years and above that was seen between April 2010 and March 2017 at the Hemodialysis unit of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital. Information was extracted from the patient’s case folders and dialysis charts. Results: In total, 226 patients had hemodialysis over the period, 124 (54.9%) were male and 102 (49.1%) were female. Sixty‑one (27%) patients had acute kidney injury (AKI), 143 (63.3%) had chronic kidney disease (CKD), whereas 22 (9.7%) had acute‑on‑CKD. A total of 2215 sessions of hemodialysis were done in the period, of which 782 (35.3%) were for AKI and 469 (21.2%) for acute on CKD. A total of 138 (60.6%) patients were discharged and 58 deaths were recorded. Conclusion: Although there is rapid proliferation of hemodialysis facilities in the country, many patients could not afford adequate hemodialysis. Inadequate dialysis due to finances was the main cause of death in these category of patients. Keywords: Bauchi, clinical characteristics, hemodialysis, Northern Nigeria, outcomes Address for correspondence: Dr. Alhaji Abdu, Department of Internal Medicine, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, P.M.B. 0117, Bauchi, Nigeria. E‑mail: alhajiaa1960@gmail.com Access this article online Quick Response Code: Website: www.nigeriamedj.com DOI: 10.4103/nmj.NMJ_148_19 This is an open access journal, and arcles are distributed under the terms of the Creave Commons Aribuon‑NonCommercial‑ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non‑commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creaons are licensed under the idencal terms. For reprints contact: WKHLRPMedknow_reprints@wolterskluwer.com How to cite this article: Abdu A, Mahmood IM, Audi KY, Umar MS. Clinical characteristics and outcomes of hemodialysis in a new center in Northern Nigeria. Niger Med J 2020;61:340‑4. Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Hemodialysis in a New Center in Northern Nigeria Alhaji Abdu, Ibrahim Maigari Mahmood, Kabeer Yakubu Audi, Mustapha Sabo Umar Department of Internal Medicine, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, Nigeria Submitted: 04‑Sep‑2019 Revised: 06‑Oct‑2019 Accepted: 15-Aug‑2020 Published: 19‑Dec‑2020