Lagos — Medical experts have revealed that more people die every day from kidney related diseases than malaria and HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.

Speaking at the international symposium on chronic kidney disease and renal transplantation organised by St. Nicholas Hospital recently in Lagos, Dr. Ebun Bamgboye of St. Nicholas hospital stated that more than five percent of the adult population have some form of kidney damage, and every year millions die prematurely of Cardiovascular diseases linked to chronic kidney diseases (CKD).

Bamgboye said the common causes of CKD include inflammatory diseases of the kidney, infections, obstruction in the urinary tract and inherited disorders like polycystic kidney disease even as he said in both developed and developing nations diabetes and hypertension are becoming the most common causes of CKD, especially in older people.

He said the first consequence of undetected CKD is the risk of developing progressive loss of kidney function leading to kidney failure and the need for dialysis treatment or a kidney transplant which is very expensive.

According to him, it also leads to premature death of those within their productive age even as he said individuals who appear to be healthy who are then found to have CKD have an increased risk of dying prematurely from coronary disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral artery disease and heart failure regardless of whether they ever develop kidney failure.

He however noted that most forms of kidney disease are treatable and its progression can often be curtailed particularly if caught early, adding that early detection and treatment can often keep chronic kidney disease from getting worse, and can prevent the need for dialysis or transplant.

He said patients with diabetes mellitus and hypertension, individuals who are obese or smoke, individuals with a family history of kidney disease, and people of Africa and Asian descent are at higher risk of contracting kidney disease.

Speaking on ways to prevent kidney diseases, Bamgboye advised Nigerians to have their blood pressure checked regularly and also take steps to control their blood pressure; he said the easiest way to maintain a normal blood pressure is by lowering the amount of salt intake and avoid adding salt to already cooked foods.

Continuing he said people should watch their weight to avoid becoming overweight; and also tell their doctor if their family have a history of high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney disease.

He said they should always engage in regular exercise as it will help keep their bodies functioning well and they should also drink enough water".
Speaking on the same vein, retired Consultant Nephrologists University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, Dr. Dwomoa Adu disclosed some of the challenges to renal and kidney transplantation saying " Africa lacks legislative right on transplantation and also some social beliefs are against it".

He said government should make transplantation legal so that medical practitioners can harvest kidney from deceased persons or welling donors to assist those with kidney failure even as he said many people have gone for transplantation and came out successful.

He also identified lack of awareness on the disease as a major challenge noting that when people are educated on the disease they will know how to prevent the disease and also the need for screening.

Adu also stressed the need for government's support in managing patients with kidney disease even as he said many people below the age of 50 are dying everyday because they can not afford dialysis or transplantation.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201005130353.html

Can anybody tell me why people die of these preventable diseases in Naija. It is very annoying. Our people spend years and years in universities across the world studying medicine and we still have this kind of situations.
From My personal experience, I would say that bad hygeine in the case of some food vendors and producers that are not being monitored can be blamed for this. And again people dont do regular checkup with their Gps. There has to be a way to get regular, effective and competent health care system in Nigeria. How can one persuade our ineffective Government to atleast make healthcare affordable and universal in Nigeria. I mean most people in naija would have had someone that died of some form of preventable disease or the other. For example my uncle died of some form of kidney disease. This is scary.
Personal Tips for avoiding kidney diseases
1) avoid mama puts, cook your own food (unless you can speak for the hygiene of a particular mama put).
2) Exercise regularly
3) Reduce alcohol intake to the minimum
4) Lose some of those extra flesh
5) Please feel free to add more (including suggestions on how to reduce the rate of kidney failure in naija)

i strongly agree wit u.

The problem is what we call enjoyment in Nigeria are mostly our waterloo, , eating junks and not resting. The truth i've come to terms wit is that a lot of these despised mlm products like GNLD, Edmark, Forever living can actually save us a lot of stress if we look beyond their prices. i personally use Edmark and Swissgarde products and i can say authoritatively that they work.

Edmark especially is formulated for easy consumption. They have coffees and juice that u take normally and these products are superb.

i am not advertising for them, i am only stating the obvious.

i personally use Edmark and Swissgarde products and i can say authoritatively that they work.

Edmark especially is formulated for easy consumption.

 

They have coffees and juice that u take normally and these products are superb.

i am not advertising for them, i am only stating the obvious.

If the above statements do not constitute an advert, then what is?

Pls doctors in the house,does alcohol lead to kidney failure? Thank you

Yes