Be ware of 'fake' remedies for kidney disease - Specialist

A kidney specialist at the School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Ghana, Dr Dwomoa Adu, has cautioned the public against patronising "wayside" drug peddlers who profess to have cure for kidney disease.

According to him, the drug peddlers, many of whom have increased their marketing activities on social media in recent times are only interested in making money since the numerous drugs they are peddling have not been proven to cure kidney disease.

For instance, Dr Adu said said dandelion tea, coconut water, garden eggs leaves, carrot, beetroot, apple and watermelon leaves does not cure chronic kidney disease.

Delivering a lecture as part of the World Kidney Day celebrations in Cape Coast on Thursday, Dr Adu who is also with the Ghana Kidney Association advised that anybody who detect symptoms of tiredness, swelling feet, nausea and breathlessness which were some of the symptoms of the kidney disease should rather seek early treatment at the hospital.

Each year, about 7000 people in Ghana between the ages of 25 and 50 develop end stage renal failure with about 95 percent dying because they don't get treatment.

According to the Ghana Kidney Association, only 10 percent of the people who developed end stage kidney failure received treatment in 2017.

This year’s World Kidney Day was on the theme “Kidney health for everyone everywhere.”

Dr Adu in his address said the disease was hitting Ghana hard considering the fact that it was the young and economically active population which was getting it.

Besides here are only five hemodialysis facilities in Ghana, located in the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Northern, Central and Volta regions.

Dialysis patients in the other regions have to travel long distances for their treatment.

Dr Adu said the Ghana Kidney Association has developed a renal care policy to help address prevention, treatment and costs of chronic kidney diseases and that it was to be presented to government to help chart ways to ameliorate the suffering of kidney patients in Ghana.

Healthy eating

He urged the public to reduce the intake of meat, salt and sugar and also cautioned against the continuous use of anti-inflammatory drugs saying they could lead to chronic kidney failure.

A Consultant Pediatrician Nephrologist at the Department of Health at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Victoria Adabayeri advised parents to monitor their children and report any abnormalities in their urine to the hospital for attention.