Renal Cortical Morphometry in Hypertensive Patients at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital: Correlation with Renal Function Indices

Hypertensive nephrosclerosis is a major cause of chronic kidney disease in Nigeria, yet the specific correlation between renal cortical morphometric changes and clinical renal function parameters has not been systematically investigated in North West Nigerian patients. Histological assessment of renal cortical thickness, glomerular density, and tubular diameter can provide insight into the structural basis of declining renal function in hypertensive nephropathy. This study aims to evaluate renal cortical morphometry in hypertensive patients undergoing renal biopsy or nephrectomy at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, and correlate findings with renal function indices including estimated glomerular filtration rate, serum creatinine, and proteinuria. Renal biopsy specimens will be processed for light microscopy using haematoxylin and eosin, periodic acid-Schiff, and Masson's trichrome stains. Glomerular diameter, glomerular obsolescence rate, interstitial fibrosis area, and tubular atrophy score will be quantified using digital image analysis. The study anticipates establishing histomorphometric correlates of hypertensive renal disease severity in this population, providing a pathological basis for stratifying hypertensive nephropathy and informing decisions regarding nephroprotective therapy in North West Nigerian clinical practice.

Keywords: renal cortical morphometry, hypertensive nephropathy, glomerular density, chronic kidney disease, Zaria