A public health expert, Dr Thomson Nduka, says the prevalence of chronic kidney disease is rising, yet it is under-diagnosed in the country.
Nduka told the News Agency of Nigeria on Saturday in Abuja that as many as 90 per cent of Nigerians who had CKD did not know they had the disease until it was well advanced.
He said the good news was that the earlier people find out they had kidney disease, the sooner they could take steps to protect their kidneys from further damage.
He said protecting the kidneys would allow a person to continue to work, spend time with their family and friends, stay physically active and do other things.
The expert said every 30 minutes, the kidneys filter all the blood in the body, noting that about 800 million people worldwide suffer from a progressive and often fatal deterioration of the organs.
He urged Nigerians to protect their kidneys by getting tested, stating that early kidney disease usually had no symptoms, so getting tested was the best way to know how their kidneys were working.
He said, “Finding out if your kidneys are struggling before you have symptoms gives you the opportunity to make changes to help keep your kidneys healthier for longer. Even if you have symptoms, you can take steps to slow the disease.”
He said even if people felt healthy, if they were over 60 or had risk factors like diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease, they should consider speaking with their doctor about getting tested for kidney disease.
Source : Punch