Kidney failure: Age, diabetes among common leading causes – Nephrologist

Dr Adebowale Adewunmi, a Consultant Physician and Nephrologist at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, on Monday said that ageing and diabetes are common causes of kidney failure.

Adewunmi made this known during a webinar tagged: “My Kidney, My Health”, organised by SUNU Health, a Health Maintenance Organisation.

He said that other causes of kidney failure include hypertension, severe anaemia, virus, drugs, obesity, genetic disorders among others.

He said that some self prescribed drugs like calcium could also lead to kidney failure.

According to him, the prevalence of kidney in men is 10.4 per cent and 11.8 per cent in women while insufficient water.

“If you take too much calcium, it can cause stone, cholesterol or uric acid. If a person treats kidney disease more than three months, it has turned to chronic kidney disease.

“Some major kidney diseases are acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, renal stone, nephrotic syndrome, urinary tract infection and inherited or congenital diseases,” he said.

According to Adewunmi, kidney challenge does not show signs and symptoms until it is 50 per cent damaged.

“Patients do not usually know that they had damaged kidney until it gets to 50 per cent.

“Investigations like full blood count, fasting blood sugar, liver function tests, uric acid, CT scan among others could detect kidney damage early.”

On how to keep the kidney healthy, he said : “Monitor your blood pressure, control blood sugar, low salt, low cholesterol, drink plenty of fluids, and be cautious with drugs and medication use.

“Don’t smoke, don’t take alcohol with caution, do regular comprehensive check up, talk to your experts and control your blood pressure and sugar level,” Adewunmi advised.