Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
A medical health expert, Professor Sani AAl-Hassan, has attributed the rise in kidney diseases in the country to intake of contaminated foods.
Al Hassan, a Consultant Urologist with the Bayero University and Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, also identified consumption of synthetic foods and increase in some other health conditions as other major causes of kidney diseases.
He stated this on Wednesday during the official flag-off of the dialysis unit of the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences’ Renal Centre in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
The Urologist lamented the influx of fake drugs into the country which he said is also a major cause of system failure.
Professor Al Hassan, while hailing the University Management for building the best and most equipped kidney treatment centre in the country, advised Nigerians to always go for medical check up to know their health status.
He said: “There are environmental causes, that have been identified especially in some riverine areas. We are now using a lot of fertilizer for agriculture and it has been found in some riverine areas. This fertilizer actually enters water and we end up drinking a portion of it.
“Even the food we eat, there may be some remnant of this fertilizer and a lot of other synthetic food we are eating in the world is being attributed as a cause of kidney failure.
“Well, kidney disease actually is on the increase worldwide, Nigeria inclusive, and the causes are mainly that of hypertension, diabetes and chronic glomerulonephritis which is a form of disease that mainly affects children but it can occur in adults.
“And as we remind ourselves, kidney is a filter. Part of its job is to filter blood. Any toxin that enters blood has to come out through the kidney.
If you take drugs, if you take food substances, when they finish their job in the system, in the body, they are filtered through the kidney. So the kidney is the last one that takes the assault and it ends up failing.
“You will be surprised that you find somebody who is very healthy, suddenly he develops kidney failure. So these are some of the things that have been identified as causes of kidney failure.
“It is important that when you reach a certain age, from the age of 30 and above, you should be checking your blood sugar, you should be checking your blood pressure.
“And you should do medical checkup, generally, because you may think you are very healthy. Suddenly, when they go and do some tests, they find you have either kidney disease, which is ongoing gradually without any direct manifestation in your body.
“And then also, when you check your BP on a regular basis, because of various causes of hypertension, and you also check your blood sugar, because we eat a lot of carbohydrates.”
“The food we eat is totally unregulated, but over 90% of our food is carbohydrate, and this is converted to sugar. So you end up overdriving your system and end up having diabetes.
“Obesity is gradually increasing in Nigeria because of more abundance of food,” he said.
He called on government especially the National Agency for Fodd and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to redouble their efforts to stop the importation of fake drugs into the country.
“A lot of the drugs that come into this country are fake. NAFDAC is doing its best, but they need to increase scrutiny on the drugs that are consumed, because some of them are actually toxic to the body, and they are manufactured and brought into this country.
“So the government is doing its best, but I think they should ginger NAFDAC to increase their surveillance on the type of drugs that come into the country.
“The center has all the facilities except the expertise. They are working on the expertise, because essentially, I have been to many centers in this country, and this is the best, the most dedicated center, you know, purpose-built for kidney care as far as infrastructure and facility is concerned, but they need to work on manpower in order to get the expertise to manage the cases and also take care of long-term kidney failures,” he said.
Vice Chancellor of the Institution, Professor Jesse Uneke said the Renal Centre was established with the support of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
He said the centre’s establishedment is in keeping with the mission of the University to serve mankind.
He said the institution aims to achieve this by adopting the highest form of professionalism, ethics and excellence by training highly qualified health and other related professionals who will work to improve health outcomes, through the provIsion of high quality, efficient, cost-effective and integrated health services.
“Our overall goal is not only to achieve the reversal on Medical Tourism but also the reversal of Educational Tourism.
“As part of the Central goal of establishing this university, which is for research, teaching and comimunity development, the university has a mandate to establish Centres of Excellence that will be reputable for advancement in research, training and patient care.
“Through the support of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) the University has established the DUFUHS Renal Center.
Prof Uneke noted that the DUFUHS Renal Centre is a state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence for Renal Research, Training and Patient Care.
“The Centre operates with a multı-disciplinary team of experts specialising in conducting research and training on kidney related issues, and caring for people with kidney disease.
“Kidney disease is a chronic illness with four basic treatments: haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis conservative management and transplantation, which include emptive transplantation, living donor & cadavaric transplantation.
“It is well known that chronic kidney disease is underrecognised and underdiagnosed. Patients with end-stage renal failure (ESRD) are thought to represent the tip of the iceberg of the entire burden of chronic kidney disease.
“This is more so in Nigeria where patients often present late or not at all to health facilities for several reasons which range from prohibitive cost of health care services to use of alternative treatment like traditional/native healers.
“The continuous world-wide increase of people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) means that research and shared knowledge into the causes and treatment are vital to delay the progression of chronic kidney disease and to improve treatments and the care given through research and training,” he said.
