24 million Nigerians live with kidney disease – Cochrane
By; Vitalis Ugoh, Calabar.
A Non-Governmental Organization that specializes in research on effectiveness of treatments and interventions for healthcare conditions, Cochrane Nigeria has said that roughly 24 million Nigerians live with chronic kidney diseases (CKD).
A senior research associate/training coordinator of the body Dr. Emmanuel Effa disclosed this in Calabar during a media round table with journalists to kick start their activities for the year.
Effa who identified age, obesity, low birth weight, prolonged use NSAIDS, a type of painkiller such as ibuprofen, diclofenac, naproxen among others things as conditions that put people at increased risk of CKD noted that about 94,000 people are currently suffering it in Cross River.
He further said that, “the treatment of CKD is a lifestyle modifications including diet, control of fluid intake, blood pressure lowering medications, blood sugar control in diabetics, blood cholesterol control, dialysis as well as kidney transplant”.
While advising non diabetic adults with kidney diseases to reduce the amount of proteinous diets, he stated that, undiagnosed and untreated CKD which can be detected through symptoms like fatigue, weakness, difficult/painful urination, foamy urine, increased need to urinate can lead to serious health problems.
According to him, “about 26 million American adults have CKD and millions of others are at risk.
“In Nigeria, about 1 in 7 people have one degree of chronic kidney disease or the other (i.e. about 14.2%). This translates roughly to 24 million Nigerians. This research covers the last five years”.
