kidney disease - prevention and causes

Unknown to many people, what we eat drink and use like mercury containing medicated soap, lightening cream, drug abuse, blood pressure etc have adverse effect on kidney the organ that eliminate waste products and excess water from the body.

 In the course of performing these crucial functions it gets itself damaged with resultant kidney disease.

What are the functions of the kidney and causes of its disease?

the kidney is a pear-shaped organ that functions principally for the maintenance of the blood volume, excreting waste products, maintains a stable internal environment of the body facilities and red blood cells production.

It does the latter by producing a chemical called erythropoietin which engineers bone marrow to produce red blood cells.

The kidney compliments the liver in the process of detoxification of invading organisms and agents into the body before it eliminates them.

Most organisms and foreign particles that get into the body are strangers in the body, hence dangerous to the body they are like thieves invading a premise.

The body produces chemicals to immobilize or handcuff these “criminals” and the kidney provides avenues for

Their exit from the body. In the process of doing this task, the kidney gets itself damaged and kidney  disease results . so with  this preamble you can see that the kidney is one of the most susceptible organs to injury in the body.

The source of these agents are from bacteria, viral, protozoa and fungi infection in any part of the body.

Notable among them are skin infection sore throat, cold and diarrhea diseases, bone infection, heart infection , hepatitis, HIV and malaria.

Others are herbal concoction preparation, medicated soap and cream particularly those with mercury toxin from plants some species of aloe vera from animals like snake bites, tinned food contaminants, oil pollution and other environ mental pollutants including industrial wastes.

 The abuse of genuine drugs , the use of  adulterated or fake drugs and abnormal body responses to drugs and important causes of kidney disease in Africa and in the Global world today.

Special  disease like hypertension, diabetes mellitus, urinary tract infections, enlargement of the prostrate, some complications  of pregnancy like eclampsia cancer and some inheritable an genital abnormalities of the body systems.

It is worth mentioning that some preparations Containing copper salt used by some spiritual homes and outfits can cause kidney disease.

The third category are those conditions that would lead to sudden  drop in the total volume of blood and water in the body like severe body loss during road traffic accident, pregnancy and delivery, severe destruction of red blood cells in sickle cell disease.

Massive causality  and disasters like bomb blast, crush injury and earthquake,  severe vomiting and diarrhea, severe  deprivation of water and excessive sweating.

How kidney disease manifest?

Interestingly kidney disease may be discovered accidentally on routine medical check-up or while doctors are evaluating or treating usual and common complains like malaise, headache, tiredness, loss of drive lethargy and generalized body aches. In other words the kidney disease can manifest with non-specific symptoms and signs.

Author: Dr. Ademola Aderibigbe