CHILDREN ON HEMODIALYSIS: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY IN BENGHAZI PEDIATRIC HOSPITAL

End stage renal disease (ESRD) is a major health problem worldwide. In Libya, limited studies are available on children with ESRD.Regular assessment of laboratory parameters is the only way to reduce their risk of mortality.This study aimed to determinethe demographic characteristics and evaluate the hematological profile of children on hemodialysis (HD) admitted to the dialysis unit in Benghazi Pediatric hospital, Benghazi, Libya during the period 3rd of December, 2017 to 15th of January 2018.A structured form was used to record data collected from patients files. Data includedage, gender, body weight, treatment history, drug history, duration and frequency of HD and laboratory tests results, specifically white blood cells (WBC), hemoglobin (HB), blood urea, glucose, Albumin, uric acid, serum creatinine, serum iron, calcium, phosphate, sodium and potassium.Number of patients on HD includedin this study was seven with average age of 11years,the majority (71%)were males.Average body weight of female patients was24.2kg,while male patients averagebody weight was25.52kg. Most of the patients(57%)hadhigh BP.71%of patientsstarted dialysis sincemore than one year.Patients underwentdialysisthree times a week represented(86%),while the rest of patients underwent dialysis four times a weekrepresented(14%).All patients had anemia and highcreatininelevel.Providing an appropriate care for children on maintenance dialysis in Libya is quitedifficult. Increasing the awareness ofparents about ESRD is necessary to improve the life quality of children with ESRD.