Hypertension, diabetes leading causes of kidney problems in Nigeria

AN expert in kidney disease, Dr Samuel Ajayi, has said that hypertension and diabetes are the leading causes of kidney problem in Nigeria.

Dr Ademola, who spoke at the 2022 World Kidney Day celebration by the renal unit of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, held at the Akinkugbe Kidney Centre with the theme ‘Kidney Health for All’, stated that kidney failure was better avoided because its treatment even for the rich, is expensive and increasingly affecting predominantly young Nigerians.

According to him, the kidney was just an innocent organ and kidney failure could be the consequence of people not paying attention to hypertension and diabetes.

He declared, “Because of the word ‘tension’ that is part of the word ‘hypertension’, most people believe that hypertension has to do with having headaches, tension, stress, not sleeping well, not having enough money or job. Of course, all these only cause a temporary increase in blood pressure

“Some people will only come to the clinics when they have headaches, thinking that because they have headaches, they also have hypertension. And when the headache disappears, they stop taking the drugs, because, to them, the blood pressure is back to normal.

“But in fact, in many of these patients, the hypertension is still there. It is the same thing with diabetes; by the time a person begins to pass too much urine and people begin to lose weight, diabetes is far too gone.

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“But there are other diseases of the kidney that is detectable by going to the hospital for a regular check-up. If there is a disease in the kidney, oftentimes it will show in the urine because the urine that we pass comes through the kidney.”

Dr Ajayi stated that kidney problems are symptomless in their early stages and so Nigerians should have regular medical check-ups, adding, “It’s not good to wait for symptoms because its symptoms will suggest that this disease has been there for some time and we are not paying attention to it.”

Mr Anu Oyebamiji, a dietician, urged Nigerians to avoid fatty foods, foods rich in salt and fried foods to maintain healthy kidneys.

According to him, individuals with kidney problems must cut down their intake of vegetables rich in potassium such as ugwu, spinach and Ewedu, avoid taking milk, increase their water intake as well as cut down on eating rice and bread to help their impaired kidney repairing itself.

Mrs Grace Adekoya, a Deputy Director of Nursing, warns against abuse of painkillers, people not voiding urine when pressed, untreated diarrhoea and vomiting, bleaching crèmes and excessive alcohol intake as contributory to kidney damage.