A Nephrologist, Dr Longjohn Adonye, has advised people to reduce intake of alternative drugs, salt and food seasonings, saying they can lead to chronic kidney disease in both men and women.
Adonye, who is the Senior Registrar, Department of Nephrology, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi- Araba, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.
He spoke on the 2018 commemoration of the World Kidney Day, celebrated annually every March 8.
The theme of 2018 is: “Kidneys and Women’s Health: Include Value, Empower”.
Adonye said that most of the alternative drugs do not have appropriate prescription, which he said, made people to consume them inappropriate way.
“The main reason why we celebrate kidney day yearly is to create more awareness and educate people more on what causes kidney problems and how it can be prevented.
“Kidney disease is a big problem, regardless of gender, and is also very difficult to manage, which is the eighth leading cause of death in women.
“This is the main reason we encourage people to always maintain healthy lifestyle by jogging, eating healthy, drinking plenty of water and reducing intake of salt and seasonings.
“According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the prevalent of kidney diseases in Nigeria is 11 per cent, which means one person out of nine people, has a chance of getting kidney problem.
“The main focus on women this year is because, women are prone to chronic kidney disease.
“They easily get infected during childbirth which may affect their kidneys.
“The major risk factors of kidney diseases are hypertension, chronic infection, diabetes, obesity, among others,” Adonye said.
He said that women with chronic kidney disease were at increased risk of negative outcomes for the mother and the baby, because it could lead to hypertensive disorders and preterm births.
“There should be an awareness, timely diagnosis and proper follow up of chronic kidney disease in pregnancy.
“Chronic kidney disease can be prevented by going for regular checkup and screening, especially women,” Adonye said.
He called on the Federal Ministry of Health to increase access to healthcare and health insurance which would help to improve the awareness of kidney problems in the country.
Adonye also advised people to always drink plenty of water, because it helps the kidney to function properly. (NAN)
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