Chronic kidney disease is considered one of the most deadly diseases in Kenya. It encompasses several conditions that are progressive and permanent that affect the kidneys.

It is estimated that by year 2030, at least 4.8 million Kenyans will be suffering from forms of chronic kidney disease. Currently, at least one in every 10 people has a form of chronic kidney disease.

By 2017, the Ministry of Health estimated that up to 4 million Kenyans had chronic kidney disease. A significant proportion of this population was feared to be at risk of progressing to full blown kidney failure.

Out of these patients, 10,000 had end stage renal disease and required dialysis.

Globally, it is estimated that 50 million people have kidney disease. At the same time, chronic kidney diseases are estimated to cause at least 2.4 million deaths every year worldwide.

How does it happen?

Your general health is largely dependent on the proper functioning of your kidneys.

According to the Centre for Disease Control, your kidneys are located near the middle of your back and just below the rib cage. Each of the two kidneys is about the size of a fist or a computer mouse.

“The kidneys filter all the blood in the body every 30 minutes to remove wastes, toxins and extra fluid from the body,” cites the CDC.

“They control and balancing salts and minerals in the blood, and release hormones that are essential in controlling blood pressure, and stimulate production of red blood cells, manage anemia and aid in the maintenance of healthy bones.”

As this process takes place, all the waste and excess fluids that are extracted by the kidneys are turned into urine and removed from the body through urination.

If you kidneys become incapable of running this process smoothly, you may be diagnosed with chronic kidney disease which is also known as the renal disease.

“With chronic kidney disease, the kidneys are damaged and unable to filter blood. This leads to a buildup of excess fluid and waste from the blood in the body which can trigger secondary diseases such as stroke and the heart disease,” cites the CDC.

Risk factors

According to the Centre for Disease Control, there are five health factors that increase the risk of having chronic kidney disease.

These include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and a family history with chronic kidney disease (such as one parent or sibling with chronic kidney disease).

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, diabetes is considered the biggest risk of getting chronic kidney disease, with high blood pressure coming in second. In addition to this, persons aged 60 years and above also have elevated risk for kidney disease.

Complications                 

According to the CDC, chronic kidney disease can be tricky to spot without a proper medical test.

This is because not all patients with the disease show symptoms. At the same time, symptoms develop slowly as the kidneys fail, which triggers multiple secondary health complications.

According to the Centre for Disease Control, the chronic kidney disease comes with various health complications that include the following:

• Having anemia or low number of red blood cells
• Having increased occurrence of infections
• Having low calcium levels, high potassium levels, and high phosphorus levels in the blood
• Losing of appetite or eating less than normal
• Going into depression and having a general lower quality of life

Symptoms

People with chronic kidney disease do not exhibit signs and symptoms in the early stages. This is because the body is able to cope and compensate the reduction in kidney function during the early stages of chronic kidney disease.

According to the CDC, this makes the disease diagnosable only through specific blood and urine tests. “The two tests involve the measurement of the creatinine level in the blood and the protein in the urine,” cites the CDC.

Creatinine is a waste product that comes from the normal wear and tear on muscles of your body. Every person has creatinine in their bloodstream.

A creatinine test measures how well your kidneys filtering this waste from your blood. As the disease progresses, patients might show certain symptoms that will suggest they have a form of chronic kidney disease.

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According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, these symptoms are usually common during the stage known as kidney failure or established renal failure. The symptoms, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, that will show will include:

• Having swollen face, legs, ankles, feet or hands.  This swelling is caused of fluid buildup and retention in the body.
• Having abnormal urination. This may include blood in your urine, increased urination frequency especially at night, difficulties achieving urination, releasing less or more than normal urine, having darker or paler urine than normal.
• Having shortness of breath. This is caused by the buildup of excess fluid in the lungs and anemia.
• Being fatigued, having difficulties sleeping, getting muscle cramps, and itchy skin. The itchy skin can be severe and is caused by the buildup of waste in the bloodstream.
• A general feeling of sickness that will come with headaches, nausea and vomiting, weight loss, and low appetite.
• Having erectile dysfunction in men.
• Having a metallic taste in the mouth or producing breathe that smells like ammonia.

Treatment

There is no cure for chronic kidney disease. However, the CDC cites that there is treatment that is aimed at alleviating complications.

This includes lowering blood pressure, lowering blood cholesterol, and controlling blood glucose.

“If chronic kidney disease aggravates, it might lead to kidney failure where the treatment options will be dialysis and kidney transplant,” cites the CDC.

Dialysis and kidney transplant often happen during the stage five of the chronic kidney disease. During the early stages of the disease, treatment might involve recommendations to change lifestyle habits and diet.

According to the CDC, these recommendations will include:

• Restricting your salt intake to less than 6g a day or around 1 teaspoon
• Keeping your blood pressure below 140/90 mm Hg
• Staying within your target blood sugar range if you have diabetes
• Doing regular exercise of at least 150 minutes per week to control your blood pressure and blood sugar levels
• Losing weight if you are overweight or obese
• Getting regular chronic kidney disease tests and consultations with a qualified and licensed nephrologist
• Taking any medications administered to you as prescribed without failure
• Quitting smoking
• Getting diet prescription for kidney-healthy meal plans