10 ways to keep your kidney healthy — Dr Daniel Otokpa

Our kidneys, often overlooked in the lower back, are not just organs. They are the unsung heroes of our health, tirelessly eliminating waste, balancing fluids, and even regulating our blood pressure. They make over 80% of our blood and are crucial for maintaining our acid-base balance and healthy bones. Understanding their role is not just a step but the key to taking control of our kidney health.

When our kidneys are damaged, it’s a serious matter. It could lead to Acute Kidney Injury (AKI), also known as Acute Renal Failure (ARF), or Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), also known as Chronic Renal Failure (CRF). An AKI is considered Acute when the injury lasts less than three months. It’s a condition that can be treated, and renal function can return to normal. However, CKD is a different story. It’s a kidney injury or dysfunction that lasts more than three months, a severe medical condition that requires immediate attention from a nephrologist. The good news is that many kidney diseases, including CKD, are preventable with the right knowledge and lifestyle choices. This knowledge empowers us to take charge of our kidney health, knowing we can prevent these conditions.

Some of the features of kidney failure include fatigue (tiredness) because of anaemia, early morning facial fullness, progressive bilateral lower limb swelling, and sometimes result in whole body swelling, progressive reduction in urine output, elevated blood pressure, especially in young individuals, and fracture from unhealthy bone. Accumulation of excretory waste products that should be eliminated from the body by the kidneys can also affect the sensorium of the individual and eventually leads to loss of consciousness.

While kidney health is a serious matter, it’s not all doom and gloom. There are ten empowering actions and solutions you can take to actively maintain them, giving you the power to take control of your well-being. These are simple, everyday steps that can have a significant impact on the health of your kidneys. By embracing these actions, you can feel confident that you are doing your part to keep your kidneys healthy, reassuring you that managing your kidney health is within your reach. You have the power to make a difference. Start today and take the first step towards a healthier you.

1. Exercise like aerobics, walking, swimming, and cycling help improve kidney function through optimal blood flow to the kidneys. This exercise can also help to maintain a good weight and help to keep a good blood pressure.

2. Tobacco smoking cessation. Smokers are four times likely to develop kidney failure compared to non smokers. Tobacco smoking can cause serious injury to the kidneys and, indeed, cancer of the kidneys. Tobacco contains numerous chemicals that can destroy the blood vessels, leading to high blood pressure and, ultimately, protein in urine called proteinuria. This will require you to see a doctor, preferably a nephrologist.

3. Slash salt in your diet. Overeating salt can contribute to high blood pressure and lead to kidney stones. It is recommended not to eat more than a teaspoon of salt daily and never add salt to already prepared food before eating it. We should also look at labels on processed food to determine the salt content before consumption. Again, some snacks like meat/fish pie have high salt content, so we need to be careful with the quantity we take if we can not avoid them.

4. Cutting down on alcohol consumption. Alcohol, when consumed in moderate quantities, is suitable for cardiovascular health. However, if taken in excessive amounts, it can result in high blood pressure and affect cholesterol adversely. These, again, are risk factors for kidney failure

5. Staying Hydrated. A healthy adult requires about six to eight glasses of water (about 3 litres) daily, while those working in a very sunny/humid environment will need more because they lose more water through sweating. This enables the kidneys to flush out crystals that can form stones and bacteria that can cause urinary tract infections. When one is well-hydrated, it reflects in the urine, which becomes clear or amber-coloured. Dehydration is one of the risk factors for kidney disease.

6. Herbal-based medications (Agbo) should be avoided, especially in those who are diabetic, hypertensive, and elderly. These preparations contain a lot of dangerous chemicals that can destroy the kidneys over time.

7. Bleaching creams and Soaps are known to cause kidney failure when used for a prolonged period. These skin-lighting creams and soaps contain a high level of mercury and hydroquinone, which are toxic to the kidneys and other organs, like the liver.

8. Painkillers like Olfen, Cataflam, and Ibuprofen are classified as Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs). They are outstanding in treating pain, and they can destroy the kidneys, mainly in middle-aged diabetic patients. So, these groups of people should get a proper prescription from a qualified doctor for pain, especially chronic pain.

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9. Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight and obese increases one’s chance of becoming diabetic, hypertensive, and malignancies, which are important risk factors for kidney disease. The body mass index (BMI) is the person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in metres and is used to assess whether one is overweight or obese. The value ranges from 18.5-24.9Kg/M2. An individual with a value of 25 and above is overweight, while a value of 30 and above is classified as obese.

10. Diabetic mellitus and hypertension are among the leading causes of kidney failure worldwide. People with these health challenges have an increased risk of kidney failure, and as such, blood sugar and blood pressure must be well-controlled. They should keep to their clinic appointment regularly.

Annual medical check-ups are necessary for those with a family history of kidney disease and those aged 40 years and above.

Dr Daniel Otokpa is a Consultant Physician & Nephrologist at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar. He can be reached via drdeotokpa@gmail.com