Control blood pressure, high sugar level to prevent kidney disease

The Spectator published a re­port last week titled “Chronic Kidney Disease surge among the youth,” which disclosed that 70 per cent of people with Chron­ic Kidney Diseases (CKD) cases in Ghana are between the ages of 20 and 50.

The high incidence of kidney dis­eases among middle-aged workers raises severe public health con­cerns, and the nation runs the risk of losing its young to (CKD) if action is not taken.

According to reports, 800 million people worldwide are afflicted with the disease, which kills 2.4 million people yearly, making it the sixth fastest growing cause of mortality worldwide.

Sadly, most of the cases are re­ported to occur in underdeveloped nations with low resources.

These alarming statistics high­light the need for preventative mea­sures to be implemented in order to prevent the disease, which shows symptoms like itchy skin, cramping in the muscles, foamy urine, fatigue and weakness, swelling in the legs, ankles, and feet, increased or de­creased urination, and unexplained weight loss, among others.

We are informed that when these symptoms appear, the illness has progressed to an irreversible level, and patients may require dialysis or a kidney transplant if their kidney function has been severely compro­mised.

Also, the disease may be caused by unchecked hypertension, drug abuse (including ibuprofen and diclofenac), and herbal remedies, among other things.

The worrying part is that having CKD, no matter how minor, puts a person at risk for more significant issues like cardiovascular disease, which is a set of illnesses that affect the heart and blood arteries and includes heart attacks and strokes.

Medical experts state that dia­betes is the primary cause of kidney disease, and that those with the condition should monitor their sugar intake.

They describe CKD as a pro­gressive and irreversible decline in kidney function that occurs over months or years without any notice­able symptoms.

The Spectator is concerned about the issue and believes that setting early detection, interven­tion, and prevention as top pri­orities will provide the solution. After a diagnosis, in that case, it is imperative to manage it by reducing salt intake, losing weight, exer­cising regularly, and adhering to a balanced diet to prevent it from getting worse.

In order to lower their blood pressure, patients with high blood pressure must also modify their lifestyle, take medication, eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables, drink enough water, sleep for seven to eight hours every night, abstain from smoking, and consume alcohol in moderation.

To lessen the financial burden that comes with kidney diseases, the government actually needs to act pragmatically and set up an insurance programme for dialysis sufferers.

We also urge every individual to be health consciousn in order to avoid contracting the disease, as the expense of treating a patient undergoing renal dialysis is high and beyond the means of most families.

With CKD, there is no known cure; medication can only assist manage the disease’s symptoms and prevent it from growing worse.

Let us be health conscious to prevent kidney disease.