11th March, 2023
Abujah Racheal
Dr Thomson Nduka, a Public Health Expert, says the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is rising, yet it is underdiagnosed in the country.
Nduka told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) 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 very advanced.
According to him, the good news is that the earlier you find out you have kidney disease, the sooner you can take steps to protect your kidneys from further damage.
He said that 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 that every 30 minutes, the kidneys filtered all the blood in the body, noting that about 800 million people worldwide suffered 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 has no symptoms, “so getting tested is the best way to know how your kidneys are working.
“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 explained.