A medical officer at the Trust Hospital, Dr Selasi Amegashie, has noted that chronic kidney disease or existing kidney damage is irreversible.
However, treatment can help slow the progression of chronic cases, manage symptoms, and prevent complications, allowing individuals to live longer and maintain a better quality of life.
She explained that the chronic condition exists in situations where kidney damage develops over time, without opportunity to have it reversed.
Appearing on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, she said that the key objective of patients with chronic conditions is to help slow down their worsening conditions, manage symptoms, and prevent complications.
She has therefore reiterated the need for the public to regularise medical check-ups, especially to have their kidneys examined so if there is any issue, it would be detected on time and treatment started to prevent chronic cases.
Dr Amegashie stated that some of the early signs which are also nonspecific that should get people to go to the hospital include easy fatigue, having a bitter or metallic taste, swollen legs, unexplained malaise, nausea, skin rash, foamy urine and itchiness.
“These are non-specific signs and may not necessarily mean you have kidney disease, but they are early warning signs that should get you to go to the hospital and be examined so that if there is any problem with your kidney, it would be detected on time and treatment started. With acute kidney conditions, treatment can have it reversed, but when you get to the chronic stage, it is irreversible. We can only manage the condition, treat you and minimise the complications.”
She expressed worry that several of the kidney patients only get to the hospital when they have reached their chronic stage.
She added that one is required to undergo a
Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) is a test that determines a measure of kidney function, specifically how well the kidneys filter waste and excess fluid from the blood.
According to her, the normal eGFR is generally considered to be 90 mL/min/1.73 m² or higher for younger adults.
The medical officer stated that an eGFR that’s below normal or low may mean that you may have kidney disease, and a very low eGFR means that you may have kidney failure.
She stressed that there are several patients who come to the hospital with very low rates or single digits, five and below.
This, she said, shows that you have a non-functioning kidney.
When asked about conditions that can cause chronic cases, she mentioned uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes, excessive alcohol use, smoking, cocaine, ‘wee’, and other hard drug abuse, excessive herbal medication consumption, and obesity.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
