By There is a growing concern about the increasing rate of kidney diseases in Ghana. It is believed that 13 out of 100 people have some form of kidney disease.
This translates to about four million of the over 30 million Ghanaians living with kidney diseases. This situation requires urgent attention from all stakeholders.
A Consultant Nephrologist at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Dr Elliot Koranteng Tannor, made the disclosure. He said the danger is that people are getting kidney diseases at younger ages in Ghana.
“Our average age of people with kidney failures and on dialysis is about 46 years. This is worrying,” he said at a public lecture in Kumasi to commemorate World Kidney Day.
The public lecture was put together by the Ghana Kidney Association in collaboration with PATH Ghana.
The theme for this year’s celebration is, “Are Your Kidneys Ok? Detect Early, Protect Kidney Health” which focuses on the importance of early detection and intervention to prevent kidney disease.
Dr Tannor is also a Senior Lecturer at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). He said the major conditions driving kidney diseases were including hypertension and diabetes. These conditions were on ascendancy.
He bemoaned the wanton abuse of herbal medications and pain killers without knowing how they were affecting kidneys.
He advised the public not to wait to get symptoms before seeking medical attention. It would have been too late to salvage the situation. He stressed the importance of checking the health of their kidneys periodically.
“Unlike malaria and other diseases, you can have kidney disease for five years without any symptom. You will look ok until you check,” he cautioned.
In the Ashanti Region, Dr Tannor revealed some critical information. Kidney disease burden had increased by four times over the last ten years. This was per a study conducted by KATH.
He said about 70 per cent of people reported to the facility with kidney related conditions. They were on the verge of kidney failure. Many were already experiencing it.
“The worrying aspect is that the majority of them die on admission. This is according to the data we have in Komfo Anokye,” he noted.
He reiterated that identifying patients with kidney disease early allowed for controlling their risk factors. This approach prevents the disease from progressing and eventually saves their lives.
According to him, when patients come in late, the options are dialysis or transplantation at a huge cost.
Dr Robert Yeboah, Programme Director, Healthy Heart Africa Programme, PATH Ghana, said the theme for the celebration was to raise awareness. It aimed at combating low awareness rates on chronic kidney diseases worldwide. This is especially relevant among high risk populations.
He said chronic kidney disease is estimated to affect approximately 850 million people across the world. If left undetected and not treated on time, it could progress to kidney failure. This progression leads to severe complications and premature mortality.
“By 2040, chronic kidney disease is projected to become the 5th leading cause of years of life loss. Less than 10 per cent of people with chronic kidney disease are aware of their disease,” he pointed out.
Despite the significant disease burden, Dr Yeboah said chronic kidney disease was under-prioritised on global and national health agenda. He highlighted the urgent need for global strategies to combat the disease.
