Hypoalbuminaemia in orthopaedic trauma patients in a rural hospital in South Africa
Background The deleterious effects of hypoalbuminaemia in the peri-operative period are well documented. We aimed to review serum albumin levels in a cohort of orthopaedic trauma patients to determine the prevalence of hypoalbuminaemia. Secondarily, we aimed to identify factors associated with an in...
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| Published in: | International orthopaedics Vol. 46; no. 1; pp. 37 - 42 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Berlin/Heidelberg
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
2022
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | Background
The deleterious effects of hypoalbuminaemia in the peri-operative period are well documented. We aimed to review serum albumin levels in a cohort of orthopaedic trauma patients to determine the prevalence of hypoalbuminaemia. Secondarily, we aimed to identify factors associated with an increased risk of hypoalbuminaemia.
Methods
A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed of data collected prospectively at a regional hospital serving primarily a rural population in South Africa.
Results
Two hundred ninety-five patients were included in the study. Twenty-nine per cent of the cohort was found to have hypoalbuminaemia. Femur neck fractures (
p
< 0.001), intertrochanteric fractures (
p
= 0.004), tibial plateau fractures (
p
= 0.034) and polytrauma (
p
= 0.013) were associated with hypoalbuminaemia. The mean albumin level was lower in HIV-positive patients when compared to HIV-negative patients (35.7 g/L vs 37.5 g/L,
p
= 0.007). The presence of comorbidities other than HIV, like diabetes mellitus (
p
= 0.001), previous pulmonary tuberculosis (
p
= 0.034) and chronic renal failure (
p
= 0.007) was associated with hypoalbuminaemia.
Conclusion
In this cohort of orthopaedic trauma patients from rural South Africa, we found a 29% prevalence of hypoalbuminaemia at the time of presentation. High-risk subgroups include patients with pre-existing comorbidities and increased age, as well as patients presenting with polytrauma, femoral neck, intertrochanteric femur or tibial plateau fractures. |
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| Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
| ISSN: | 0341-2695 1432-5195 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s00264-021-05022-4 |