The global campaign is annually observed on the second
Thursday in the month of March, which fell on March 10, 2022, with the theme —
“Kidney Health for All”, focusing on bridging the knowledge gap to improve
kidney health through increased care, education and awareness in the public
arena.
Kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped structures in the human
body that filter blood and produce urine.
The kidneys also remove waste products and excess fluid from
the body, balance minerals and chemicals, control blood pressure, produce red
blood cells and maintain healthy bones.
Kidneys are vital to an individual’s overall health, so, it
is necessary to look after them, keep them in good shape and maintain a healthy
lifestyle to avoid complications.
Therefore, Habibu Galadanci, a Consultant Physician and a
Nephrologist at the National Hospital, Abuja (NHA), advised people to ensure
they keep their kidneys healthy for long life.
Mr Galadanci said that the two bean-shaped organs located in
the abdominal cavity of all humans are vital organs and hence, essential for
life.
“Their major function is to excrete waste from the body.
They also regulate water and salt balance, which are important in blood
pressure regulation,” he said.
He explained that there are different types of kidney
diseases “but the most common one is what we call Chronic Kidney Disease
(CKD).”
According to him, CKD is prevalent globally, as 10-15 per
cent of all adults have been found to have Chronic Kidney Disease, including
Nigerians.
The consultant said CKD could be due to poorly treated
diabetes and hypertension, which are the major causes of chronic diseases.
He identified other causes to include indiscriminate use of
both orthodox and non-orthodox drugs, obesity, excessive alcohol intake and cigarette
smoking.
He added that “sometimes Chronic Kidney Disease can occur as
a result of complications from an inherited abnormality. For example,
individuals with sickle cell abnormality can develop CKD.
“Similarly, some inherited cystic kidney diseases can lead
to CKD. Sometimes, CKD can be due to immune disorders.”
On symptoms of CKD, he said “this is where the major problem
is. It is often asymptomatic and silent in the early stages and only identified
when specifically checked for. That is why the issue of health screening or
checkups are important.”
He said for those with advanced or late stages of CKD, some
of the symptoms are body swelling, especially of the face, legs and sometimes
of the whole body, poor appetite, nausea, sometimes vomiting, decrease in the
amount of urine and sometimes the urine stops completely.
“Patients may develop general body weakness and difficulty
in breathing. Drowsiness, convulsion, loss of consciousness and even death may
occur in very severe cases,” Mr Galadanci said.
He said treatment depends on the stage of the disease, and
the aim of the treatment also depends on the severity, adding that “for very
early stages, the whole aim of treatment is to slow the progression so that the
person’s kidney function does not continue declining and gets to a terminal
disease.
“Measures to take include adequate treatment of hypertension
and diabetes to achieve good blood pressure and sugar control.
“Quitting cigarette smoking, cessation of alcohol drinking,
losing weight and regular exercise, decreasing salt and protein intake also
helps in decreasing CKD progression.
“There are certain drugs we give to reduce the kidney damage
and leakage of protein into the urine and these are usually given to patients
by doctors. There are also drugs to boost the patient’s blood level.
“The aim is to treat the complications that arose from the
CKD. This involves giving blood-boosting injections to improve the patient’s
blood level and some supplements to improve the patient’s bone health.
“There is also the need to reduce acidity in patients with
CKD, as well as give certain medications to remove excess water that
accumulates in the body to reduce swelling.
“However, if a patient presents CKD late or what we call
end-stage renal disease, then the only option or only way to keep the patient
alive will be throughout dialysis or transplant.”
He explained that dialysis is like a blood purifying
treatment where the patient’s blood is passed through an artificial filter with
the aid of a dialysis machine.
According to him, the patient’s blood is taken, passed
through the machinery and returned to the patient. This is done over a
four-hour period.
“This dialysis, however, does not cure the kidney damage, it
only does the work of the kidney. So it’s something that has to be done
regularly.
“Patients on dialysis need to get dialysis up to three times
a week for four hours a day. A lot of time, patients end up doing it once or
twice a week because of the big challenge of cost, as a dialysis session costs
an average of N25,000 to N30,000.
“Imagine if someone is to have about three sessions per
week, that’s about N75,000 to N90,000, aside the cost of drugs and tests the
patient has to do.
“The other option apart from dialysis, which is a better
option, is transplant, where another person, usually a relative of the patient,
donates his or her kidney to the patient.
“However, the challenge to this is that it is also very
costly and it is not always easy to get a donor.
“In addition, the patient who undergoes kidney transplant
has to take drugs to suppress their immunity so as to avoid rejection. For the
body not to reject the kidney, the patient has to take anti-rejection drugs
throughout the life span of the kidney.
“But these drugs as well as the operation are expensive and
beyond the reach of most Nigerians.
“So, the major challenge in the treatment of end-stage renal
disease is the cost and because of that, the better option is prevention, early
identification and prompt treatment.”
On prevention, he said “our lifestyle is very important so
as to decrease the risk of developing hypertension and diabetes.”
According to him, diet is a major factor, saying that one
has to reduce the amount of carbohydrate, fat and oil and sugar he or she
takes.
“We must try to take a lot of vegetables and fruits, a lot
of water and moderate amounts of good protein.
“The good proteins include fish, chicken without the skin,
white meat (it is advisable to avoid red meat because of the amount of fat it
has; also avoid excess intake of dairy products like yoghurt, ice cream and
cheese and generally avoid fatty foods.
“We must also avoid smoking and alcohol and decrease our
salt intake. Exercise is very important as it helps us keep our weight down and
prevent hypertension and diabetes.
“It improves our heart health, kidney health, general
wellbeing and improves the strength and health of our bones too, especially as
we get older.
“A minimum of 30 minutes exercise daily will also help a lot,
not forgetting regular checkup,” Mr Galadanci added.
Another Consultant Nephrologist, Istifanus Bosan, also said
that early detection through regular medical checks and screening remained the
way to reduce kidney disease.
Mr Bosan, a professor at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria,
decried the high cost of treating or managing kidney diseases, attributing that
to the major reason many, who could not afford the bills, had lost their lives.
He identified late diagnosis and presentation as causative
factors that made the cost of managing/treating kidney disease expensive
because most cases were presented at their fifth stage.
According to him, if kidney disease is diagnosed early,
there are chances that its failure will be prevented for decades, while the patient
lives a normal life.
Mr Bosan, who identified two types of kidney failures –
“Acute kidney and chronic kidney failures” – said “kidney transplant or
dialysis costs a lot of money anywhere.
“In my own opinion, the only way cost of kidney disease
management can drastically be reduced is if the disease is diagnosed much
earlier and treatment starts early.”
He, therefore, urged the public to take care of their vital
organs, especially the kidney to stay healthy.
(NAN)