Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) consist of a wide range of malformations. During fetal development, these changes result in defects in the morphology and function of the kidneys and/or urinary tract and represent 23% of all congenital disabilities. This review aimed to highlight the prevalence and contribution of CAKUT to chronic kidney failure (CKF) in the African population and explore the current knowledge on genetics influencing the pathogenesis of CAKUT globally. A study conducted in Ethiopia reported CAKUT to be the most common kidney disease (26.8%) in children and infants. Recent studies conducted in East and West Africa reported CAKUT to have a mean prevalence of 4.84% and 8.77%, respectively. Although some studies have shown that less severe manifestations of CAKUT, such as mild obstruction, can have 70–90% resolution, some forms may advance to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and CKF. CAKUT has been reported to be responsible for 15.7–59% of CKD and 4.5–50% of CKF cases in children. Various studies have highlighted the involvement of genetics in the development of CAKUT and the significant number of unidentified genes that are likely to influence its pathogenesis. However, due to the limited studies conducted in Africa, we cannot establish the influence of genetics on CAKUT in Africa.
Mazaleni et al. (Tue,) studied this question.