A BUDDING 43-year-old professional, a dynamic sports enthusiast who some time ago got married and became the father of two promising young sons, was recently devastated by the news — broken to him by his doctors — that he had suffered renal (kidney) failure, and that his condition was so bad that he needed to go on dialysis within days.Kidneys are the organs that purify the body by removing waste and excess fluids from the blood. They are also involved in regulating blood pressure, electrolyte balance, and red blood cell production. Once the kidneys fail, or a person develops end stage renal disease (ESRD), there is no hope of the kidneys being repaired. The function of the kidneys would now have to be performed by dialysis until that person is able to have a kidney transplant done. Dialysis is the artificial process of eliminating waste (diffusion) and unwanted

water (ultrafiltration) from the blood.

What shocked the man even more was that the prognosis was not just that he had ‘kidney disease’ with the hope of being able to manage it, but that the damage was much worse – it was in the advanced stage. It meant that the kidney was no longer able to effectively perform the function of filtering waste products from the blood.
For the next few days, the patient, as well as his relatives and co-workers, remained in deep shock and indeed denial, since he was never known to suffer from any kidney-related illnesses.

He was initially reluctant to take the dialysis, especially after realising that it could be a life-time commitment until a kidney transplant is done.

As far as he could remember, he had never had any symptom of kidney disease. Symptoms of kidney failure are due to the build-up of waste products in the body, and initially, kidney failure may cause no symptoms. However, this build-up of waste products in the body may cause weakness, shortness of breath, lethargy, and confusion; and as the condition progresses, inability to remove potassium from the bloodstream may lead to abnormal heart rhythms and sudden death (Medicine Net.com)

But while pondering whether to commence the dialysis procedure, it was observed that the patient had begun swelling. Then doctors revealed that his blood pressure had soared way above normal range. Likewise, his BUN and creatinine levels were astronomical.

The diagnosis of kidney failure is usually made by blood tests measuring BUN, creatinine, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). If the kidneys fail completely, the only treatment options available may be dialysis or transplant. (Medicine.Net.com)

Creatinine is a chemical waste molecule that is generated from muscle metabolism. It is transported from the muscles through the blood stream to the kidney for filtering. Proper functioning kidneys filter most of the creatinine and dispose of it in the form of urine, while maintaining the blood creatinine in a normal range.

Creatinine has been found to be a fairly reliable indicator of kidney function. An elevated creatinine level signifies impaired kidney function or kidney disease. Therefore, as the kidneys become impaired for any reason, the creatinine level in the blood will rise, due to poor clearance of creatinine by the kidneys.

Abnormally high levels of creatinine thus warn of possible malfunction or failure of the kidney. (MedicineNet.com)

Our patient’s blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level and potassium levels, reliable indicators of kidney failure, were found to be extremely high. Likerwise, urea is another by-product which can build up if kidney function is impaired.

When food is consumed, it is metabolized in the muscles for energy, and after that process is complete, the waste is discarded in the form of urea.

Potassium in the blood is controlled by the kidneys, but when the kidneys are malfunctioning, potassium levels can build up to dangerous levels, adversely affecting the heart.
Foods high in potassium include oranges, bananas, avocados, squash, potatoes, pumpkin, lentils and raisins.

The patient could not initially come to terms with the fact that he had indeed suffered a kidney failure; he kept holding on to the fact that he is not a diabetic nor does he consume alcohol. And moreover, he is very active and does not lead a sedentary lifestyle. What, in effect, he was overlooking was the fact that one’s diet is a great contributing factor to one’s state of health; and invariably, non-communicable diseases which continue to claim lives exponentially thrive on poor or unhealthy eating habits.

Additionally, like so many others, he might have been overlooking the fact that the ‘fast food’ we love and use in abundance can cause an abundance of problems for our health. Unhealthy eating has led to an upsurge of chronic non-communicable diseases, such as: heart and lung diseases, stroke, cancer and diabetes, and not least kidney in our midst.

As the number of kidney cases continues to rise, hundreds are reportedly on the waiting list at the Georgetown Public Hospital for removal of kidney stones and to commence dialysis.
With the ‘fast food’ craze sweeping across frontiers, our young and not-so-young seem to be helplessly hooked on tasty and attractively served high protein; high-potassium, high carbohydrate, high calorie, high sodium, potassium and trans-fat foods which are all potentially dangerous to good health.

Eating too much fat may increase your risk of contracting obesity; diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart disease, high blood cholesterol and cancer of the breast and colon. Foods made using trans-fats include vegetable shortenings, commercially baked goods, crackers, cakes, pastries, cookies, snack foods, candies and some fast foods.

A new World Health Organization report has warned that urgent government action is needed to meet global targets to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and prevent the annual toll of 16 million people dying prematurely — before the age of 70 – from heart and lung diseases, stroke, cancer and diabetes.

Noting that most premature NCD deaths are preventable, the report made the stark revelation that, of the 38 million lives lost to NCDs in 2012, 16 million, or 42%, were premature and avoidable – up from 14.6 million in 2000! It said almost three-quarters of all NCD deaths (28 million), and 82% of the 16 million premature deaths, occur in low- and middle-income countries.

Stressing that the global community has the chance to change the course of the NCD epidemic, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan has warned that, in 2015, every country needs to set national targets and implement cost-effective actions. She added, “If they do not, millions of lives will continue to be lost too soon.”

(By Shirley Thomas)