Kidney failure is when the kidneys are no longer able carry out their functions and some of those functions include being able to remove waste from the body, control blood pressure, produce blood and remove excessive water from the body. So when the kidneys fail and are no longer able to do all these, the patient will require the treatment we call dialysis or kidney transplant.
There are two types of kidney disease – acute and chronic. If someone has chronic kidney disease or CKD, they cannot reverse it with treatment. The patient will require either dialysis or kidney transplant. In many hospitals in the country, facilities are available for dialysis. However, kidney transplant is a procedure that is not readily available in the country. It’s done in very few centres and it is expensive.
The common ones that we see often are hypertension, diabetes, and inflammation of the kidneys. Then we have infections like hepatitis, HIV, and for men, we have enlarged prostate. Those are the common causes that we see in the hospitals but there are several others like skin bleaching agents that contain mercury. Skin lightening agents that contain hydroquinone can cause kidney disease. Another common practice that is associated with kidney disease is taking some painkillers. These painkillers, when used over time, could damage the kidney.
Acute kidney disease also has its causes. Unlike before when someone suffering from acute kidney disease gets better after treatment, nowadays, after some time, some of the patients develop chronic kidney disease. Anything that will cause blood loss can lead to renal failure if not treated and pregnant women who are prone to hypertension during pregnancy can also develop kidney disease and it has caused loss of lives and even loss of babies.