High rates of undiagnosed hypoalbuminaemia in orthopaedic trauma patients at a rural hospital
| dc.contributor.advisor | Laubscher, Maritz | |
| dc.contributor.author | Maimin, Dane Gary | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-09-10T12:54:05Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-09-10T12:54:05Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025 | |
| dc.date.updated | 2025-09-10T12:51:42Z | |
| dc.description.abstract | 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. | |
| dc.identifier.apacitation | Maimin, D. G. (2025). <i>High rates of undiagnosed hypoalbuminaemia in orthopaedic trauma patients at a rural hospital</i>. (). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Division of General Surgery. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41754 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.chicagocitation | Maimin, Dane Gary. <i>"High rates of undiagnosed hypoalbuminaemia in orthopaedic trauma patients at a rural hospital."</i> ., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Division of General Surgery, 2025. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41754 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.citation | Maimin, D.G. 2025. High rates of undiagnosed hypoalbuminaemia in orthopaedic trauma patients at a rural hospital. . University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Division of General Surgery. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41754 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.ris | TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Maimin, Dane Gary AB - 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. DA - 2025 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town KW - Trauma KW - Albumin KW - Hypoalbuminaemia KW - Rural KW - Global Surgery LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2025 T1 - High rates of undiagnosed hypoalbuminaemia in orthopaedic trauma patients at a rural hospital TI - High rates of undiagnosed hypoalbuminaemia in orthopaedic trauma patients at a rural hospital UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41754 ER - | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41754 | |
| dc.identifier.vancouvercitation | Maimin DG. High rates of undiagnosed hypoalbuminaemia in orthopaedic trauma patients at a rural hospital. []. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Division of General Surgery, 2025 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41754 | en_ZA |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.language.rfc3066 | eng | |
| dc.publisher.department | Division of General Surgery | |
| dc.publisher.faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences | |
| dc.publisher.institution | University of Cape Town | |
| dc.subject | Trauma | |
| dc.subject | Albumin | |
| dc.subject | Hypoalbuminaemia | |
| dc.subject | Rural | |
| dc.subject | Global Surgery | |
| dc.title | High rates of undiagnosed hypoalbuminaemia in orthopaedic trauma patients at a rural hospital | |
| dc.type | Thesis / Dissertation | |
| dc.type.qualificationlevel | Masters | |
| dc.type.qualificationlevel | MMed |