Stemming kidney failure epidemic
Last Thursday, March 10, 2016, the international community marked the World Kidney Day. The day is to create awareness on the importance of the kidneys and reducing the impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide. World Kidney Day (WKD) is a joint initiative of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF). Most importantly, the objectives of the day are to not only raise awareness about our kidneys but also highlight that diabetes and high blood pressure are key risk factors for chronic kidney disease. Other causes include polycystic kidney disease; sickle cell disease; obstructive uropathy, prostate, fibroids, strictures and cancers; connective tissue disorders, toxic nephropathy and Human Immuno-deficiency Virus /Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ((HIV)/AIDS).
According to health experts, more than 24 million Nigerians or 14.2 percent of the population or, 1 in every 7 persons in the country has one degree of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Moreover, with more Nigerians getting overweight, developing hypertension and diabetes, medical experts are warning of a looming epidemic of kidney failure in the country. More alarming is a recent report in Medical Anthropology Quarterly that confirmed a growing worldwide market for body parts that include kidneys. Reports also reveal that there is increased kidney trafficking due to the prevailing economic situation in the country, whereby a kidney could fetch the donor as much as N1million. Medical experts say that more people die every day from kidney related diseases than malaria and HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.
It is a fact that kidneys serve as filter for the body and once damaged; they can no longer remove waste and excess liquid from the blood. As deadly as this menace is, available statistics on kidney diseases has remained scarce. The lack of renal registries means that there are no reliable statistics about the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Nigeria.
Many people with severe kidney infection are asymptomatic in the early stages of the disease. If present, the early symptoms are nonspecific and may include fatigue and loss of appetite. In the advanced stages, however, the symptoms are severe. For this reason people often do not realise they have the disease until they are already very sick and have sustained irreversible kidney damage.
Symptoms of severe kidney damage may include the yellowing of the eyes and skin (as the kidneys are no longer able to filter waste), nausea and vomiting or severe muscle cramps. In the advanced stages, as the body loses its ability to expel fluid, there may be swelling in the hands and feet and excess fluid in the lungs. This can make it difficult to breath. Without proper end-of-life care, death from kidney failure is often extremely painful.
Incidentally, unlike some African countries such as Rwanda and South Africa, there is no government funding for treatment in Nigeria. This leaves the entire burden to individuals who most often cannot bear the cost for too long. It is therefore imperative that Nigerians become health conscious by undertaking routine medical checkup for symptoms of kidney disease. With yearly testing and aggressive treatment, we can greatly slow the decline in kidney function and reduce the number of people developing kidney failure.
