24/02/2025
DIALYSIS IS ON THE RISE
Many people are on Dialysis today because of Kidney failure. I just finished talking with a Nephrology Nurse who works at the Dialysis centre. He told me that since he started working in the centre, he has never witnessed the huge number of persons who need dialysis now—up to 50 at a session now.
I know that Dialysis is a somewhat big word for you,so I will break it down.
One of the jobs of your kidneys is to excrete unwanted waste products from your body. These products are poisonous and if they accumulate in the body, they can lead to death. So what your kidneys do is to help push these wastes out through your urine. Wastes like Urea and Creatinine.
We say someone has a Kidney failure when the kidney can no longer be able to remove these poisons from the body because of some damage to the kidney. Usually,you will notice that you can no longer pass urine, or the quantity of urine that you pass will be reduced drastically.
So what happens? The wastes accumulate in the body causing you various problems like leg or body swelling, convulsions, headaches, etc.
Now this is where Dialysis comes in. Because these wastes are toxic to your body,and your kidneys can no longer excrete them—Dialysis is used to remove the toxins from your blood. Most times, it is done three times a week and it's not pocket-friendly, except you're a Dangote.
Chief of the causes of kidney injury are Diabetes and Hypertension amongst others.
Some other causes of Kidney damage include;
1. Dehydration —Not drinking enough water.
2.Too much protein
3.Too much pain killers e.g Paracetamol, Ibuprofen etc.
4.Too much salt
5.Smoking
6.Alcohol
7.Long-term intake of ulcer medicines e.g Omeprazole
8.Soda drinks
9.illegal drugs like co***ne or heroine
10.Too much exercise
11.Herbal supplements and concoctions
12. Some antibiotics
13.Swallowing Vitamin C of more than 1000mg/day: Which can lead to formation of kidney stones and kidney damage if not caught early.
14.Infections
15. And many more.
You can be proactive about your kidneys. You can go see the doctor and request for a routine check-up for your kidneys.
Little Tip: Drink Water—It helps your kidneys.
©Dr Promise Okeke
