{"id":435409,"date":"2011-06-03T12:04:09","date_gmt":"2011-06-03T12:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/06\/03\/alarming-rate-of-kidney-diseases\/"},"modified":"2011-06-03T12:04:09","modified_gmt":"2011-06-03T12:04:09","slug":"alarming-rate-of-kidney-diseases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/06\/03\/alarming-rate-of-kidney-diseases\/","title":{"rendered":"Alarming Rate of Kidney Diseases"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Daily<\/a><\/p>\n

3 June 2011<\/p>\n

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editorial<\/p>\n

RECENT revelation by the National Association of Nephrology that an estimated 30 million Nigerians suffer from kidney problems is indeed worrisome and another sad story from our health sector which must be written in the interest of those who currently have these problems and those who may, if something is not urgently done, come down with this debilitating disease.<\/p>\n

Going by the figure declared by the president of the association, Dr. Chinwuba Ijeoma, at the recent 23rd general meeting and scientific conference of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) in Benin City, Edo State, no less than 20 per cent of Nigerians have kidney problems.<\/p>\n

Indeed, and at an awareness campaign also organised by the group to mark this year’s World Kidney Day, it was also revealed that every year many Nigerians die prematurely of cardiovascular diseases linked to kidney conditions.<\/p>\n

Before this time however, specifically in 1998 during their 10th Annual Scientific Conference on kidney disease, nephrologists at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, had equally raised alarm over the increase in incidences of kidney failure, stressing that teaching hospitals in the country were recording between 16 and 60 new patients seeking dialysis every month.<\/p>\n

At the moment, the number of new patients seeking dialysis every month in these institutions is said to have risen astronomically to between 200 and 300, a situation that no doubt calls for intensification of public enlightenment campaigns concerning the different kinds of chronic kidney diseases (CKD) that people suffer from, their causes and how to manage them.<\/p>\n

Among factors identified as contributing to the development of the disease in Nigeria include ingestion of fake, expired and adulterated drugs; high blood pressure; poor Western-style diet low in natural food, overuse of certain simple medications, including analgesics and uncertified herbal preparations; stress, obesity and lack of exercise.<\/p>\n

Self-medication and failure to undergo regular medical check-ups also contribute to the escalation of the disease, just as the dearth of medical equipment for diagnosis and funds for treatment lead to deterioration of simpler ailments to serious kidney diseases.<\/p>\n

But as worrisome as the rate of prevalence is, it must be noted that the situation is not peculiar to Nigeria. It is obviously a global problem. According to the United States Renal Data System (USRDS) for instance, “each year in the US, more than 100,000 people are diagnosed with kidney failure, a serious condition in which the kidneys fail to rid the body of wastes.”<\/p>\n

Also, the World Health Report 2002 and Global Burden of Disease project reports indicate that diseases of the kidney and urinary tract account for approximately 850,000 deaths every year, representing the 12th cause of death and the 17th cause of disability.<\/p>\n

As medical experts would have it, the functions of the kidney basically include regulating the body’s fluid balance by adjusting the amount of urine that is excreted daily and removing waste products that the body produces throughout the day.<\/p>\n

But while advanced nations are constantly pursuing measures to combat the scourge of CKD, the situation in Nigeria has been allowed to progress to a frightening level, even when most forms of the disease are treatable.<\/p>\n

For instance, the disease’s progression can be lessened if detected and treated early, thus preventing the need for dialysis and kidney transplant.<\/p>\n

But since the nation’s ailing health care system cannot provide adequate facilities for the management of the disease, it becomes imperative for the relevant authorities to embark on extensive enlightenment campaigns as a measure to prevent people getting the disease that today constitutes a serious danger to Nigerians.<\/p>\n

In most hospitals, there is an acute shortage of equipment for diagnosis and because dialysis machines required to manage the disease are very few in the country, the cost is beyond what an average Nigerian patient can afford.<\/p>\n

For instance, one dialysis session is said to cost about N30, 000 and a patient requires about two sessions per week. Thus, dialysis, a procedure put in place as substitute for many of the normal duties of the kidneys, is only available for a few rich patients.<\/p>\n

Also, as very few hospitals in the country do kidney transplant, which is the last resort for patients, many Nigerian patients have had to find themselves in different hospitals abroad, particularly in India, for the transplants.<\/p>\n

Considering that many prominent persons, including former President Umaru Yar’Adua, have been lost to kidney-related ailments, no responsible government should take the matter lightly.<\/p>\n

Government at all levels must, as a matter of urgency, educate their people on the causes, symptoms and how to prevent the disease.<\/p>\n

Government must also do more by way of providing diagnostic equipment and dialysis machines for treatment of the condition to save many patients the trauma of seeking medical assistance abroad.<\/p>\n

We join other concerned Nigerians to call on the authorities to not only set up specialized kidney centres in all the states of the federation, but to also ensure that treatment is heavily subsidized to afford the growing number of Nigerian patients access to such facilities.<\/p>\n

Poverty, which has been identified as one of the factor responsible for the disease should be tackled head-on and the public health sector must be strengthened to discourage self-medication. That way, people can be sure of receiving the right medical treatment at all times.<\/p>\n

We also call for the strengthening of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), which says 40 per cent of drugs supply in the country is counterfeit, by reviewing the penalties for drug counterfeiting.<\/p>\n

Nigerians on their part must begin to show more interest in matters pertaining to their health by obtaining and heeding medical advice on the prevention of kidney ailments as well as paying more attention to what they consume.<\/p>\n

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