Nephrologists at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) have called for improved awareness and regular screening to reduce the burden of kidney diseases among citizens.
They made the call during a free Kidney Function Test Programme, held by LASUTH and Ikeja Local Government, on Wednesday in Lagos, in celebration of the World Kidney Day (WKD) 2025.
World Kidney Day is commemorated on the second Thursday in March every year, to raise awareness of the importance of the kidneys to one’s overall health.
The theme for the 2025 WKD celebration is: “Are Your Kidneys OK? – Detect Early, Protect Kidney Health.”
Kidney disease means that the kidneys, which normally filter waste and excess fluid from the blood, are damaged and unable to function properly.
A Consultant Nephrologist, Prof. Olugbenga Awobusuyi, said that the prevalence of kidney disease was high in the country, emphasising the importance of screening, to aid early detection and prompt treatment.
Awobusuyi, who is the President of Nigerian Association of Nephrology, and President of the Transplant Association of Nigeria, said that kidney disease had health implications for affected individuals, however, treatable, if detected early.
According to him, kidney disease is harmful, its health issue progresses and expensive to treat when left till the last minute, adding that such patients will require dialysis or kidney transplant.
“The minimum that the patient spends on the surgery alone is about N25 million.
“So, that’s why we are creating this awareness, testing people to detect kidney disease early,” he said.
Similarly, Dr Mumuni Amisu, a Consultant Nephrologist, said that there had been an increased presentation of patients with chronic kidney disease at LASUTH.
“We record the average of sometimes 25, 30 every week of new cases of chronic kidney disease (CKD) at different stages.
“It can be from the early stage to the end stage. Those at the end stage are those that need dialysis or kidney transplant,” Amisu said.
The nephrologist attributed hypertension, glomerulonephritis and diabetes mellitus, as common causes of CKD in Nigeria.
“Our main objective is prevention. We are using this forum to raise more awareness and let the public know the common causes of kidney disease.
“Since prevention is better than cure, we detect them early through screening and will be able to manage them early and prevent the occurrence of chronic kidney disease, which is quite expensive to manage,” he said.
Amisu said that the incidence and prevalence of chronic kidney disease was worrisome, noting that its mortality rate was also very high.
Another Consultant Nephrologist, Dr Theophilus Umeizudike, said that kidney disease affected 700 million people globally, noting that about 10 per cent of Nigeria’s population had different stages of kidney disease.
Umeizudike said that many people were living with undiagnosed kidney diseases, emphasising that early detection improved the chances of receiving effective treatment and preventing kidney failure.
He said that the programme would raise awareness, screen and treat participants, and those who required further treatment would be referred to nearby health centres, General Hospitals or LASUTH.
NAN
