By CHIOMA OBINNA
Despite the increasing number of Nigerians suffering from kidney disease, only 100 registered nephrologists are serving 162 million Nigerians.  Making the revelation in Lagos, a Consultant Nephrolologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Dr. Olayinka Adekoya said of the 100, about 15 currently practice in Lagos State.

Adekoya, who spoke during a free screening exercise for hypertension and diabetes in Lagos to commemorate this year’s World Kidney Day with the theme: “Promotes Organ Donation and Transplantation”, lamented late presentation by patients with kidney diseases as a result of ignorance.

According to him: “We don’t have any renal registry in Nigeria, but an estimated 20 million people are suffering from various kidney diseases hospitals based studies across the country. People don’t get to know that they have it. They come when it’s so bad. They don’t also know that when you have a disease condition you should be properly screened,”

In his address delivered by a Director in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Lateefat Adeleye, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris explained that kidney diseases are extremely common and harmful but could be treated if organs are made available.

Encouraging Nigerians to ensure proper control of their hypertension and diabetes to prevent kidney disease, Idris said: “Early detection is key to reducing the disease which has put over three million people’s lives in danger.

The Commissioner said early detection and treatment of CKD not only slows down or halts the progression of patients to end stage renal disease but significantly reduce the increased incidence of cardiovascular diseases which is the most common cause of premature deaths worldwide.

Idris disclosed that WKD is to raise awareness of the3000 people who die while receiving dialysis as well as the 300 people who die while waiting for transplant.  Regretting that the incidence of patients with Kidney disease has taken an epidemic proportion, he said the only treatment for the illness are dialysis and transplant or conservative care.

He noted that the state established a State-wide free hypertension and diabetes screening for people 18 and above.

“During the programme 75,645 people were screened, 14.8 percent and 4.2 percent have hypertension and diabetes respectively; 42.3 per cent with moderate hypertension were referred to secondary health care facilities with their respective Local Government Areas (LGAs) while 57.7 per cent of those with hypertensive cases were referred to primary health care centres for follow up and counseling after the initial treatment,” he added.