World Kidney Day: ‘600,000 Women Die Annually’

About 600,000 women have been said to die from kidney-related diseases and failures every year across the globe.
Consultant Paediatrician, Spring Rose Hospital, Port Harcourt, Dr. Elizabeth-Martha Okorie revealed this during her seminar presentation to mark the 2018 World Kidney Day organised by the Rekiff Kidney Support Foundation in partnership with the Renal Unit, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), yesterday.
Speaking on this year’s theme, ‘Kidney and Women’s Health’, Okorie noted that there were rising cases of kidney diseases and failures among men and women, maintaining that this year’s commemoration was dedicated to the women.
Okorie stated that certain lifestyles, including smoking and alcohol intake have become common with the women folk, thereby exposing them to the risk of kidney diseases.
Describing the kidney as an amazing structure, the expert explained that the kidney was the unit that does all the work of excreting excess iron and other waste products from the human system, stating that its damage was the damage of the entire system.
Okorie revealed that Chronic Renal Failure (CRF) lead to swollen legs, faces, joints, anaemia, hypertension, weakness of the body, among other symptoms, adding that with such condition, excess poisonous substances were retained in the system resulting to death.
Also in her paper, Consultant Paediatrician, Nephrology Unit, UPTH, Dr. Tochi Ada Uchenna, identified Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) as a major cause of kidney disease.
Uchenna noted that the female urethra was shorter in nature than the male counterpart, averring that this state of the urethra predisposes the woman more to infections leading to kidney diseases.
While identifying the risk factors of UTI as female sex, constipation, poor toilet habits, tight clothing, cotton under-wears, sexual activity, pregnancy, among others, Uchenna stressed the need for a healthy lifestyle as well as regular medical screening of urinalysis, dispstix, culture and sensitivity (C&S).
Speaking to The Tide shortly after the programme, the Secretary, Rekiff Kidney Support Foundation, Edeh John Chinedu said it has become imperative for the government to intervene in kidney cases following its rising and deadly nature in recent times.
Chinedu noted with dismay the government’s neglect accorded kidney issues as against that gained by HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis, saying “yet, kidney diseases kills more, is more cost intensive and requires the attention of the government more”.
Chinedu, who lamented the lack and non-functional state of dialysis machines in Nigerian hospitals, said the foundation, a child of circumstance, founded in 2012, was poised to create awareness, advocacy and smiles on the faces of kidney patients.
It would be noted that Rekiff Kidney Support Foundation is a charitable non-governmental organisation (NGO) with the mission of showing ardent love to victims of kidney failure, providing them with the necessary knowledge and resources to overcome their predicaments as well as carry out public enlightenment campaign on kidney care and health lifestyle to prevent kidney diseases or failure.