Kidney diseases among children worry medics
A kidney structure
What you need to know:
- Dr Sam Komen, a renal nurse at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, recently said that at the facility they are seeing between 20 and 30 children aged between five and 14 years at their clinic.
- He encouraged parents to observe slight coughs in children, saying such require timely treatment in health facilities.
More children are getting diagnosed with kidney diseases in the Western region and across the country, a situation that is alarming health experts.
Dr Sam Komen, a renal nurse at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, recently said that at the facility they are seeing between 20 and 30 children aged between five and 14 years at their clinic.
“More often, we pick cases when it is too late,” said the medic. “But if we can pick these cases early, we will be able to prevent them from going for dialysis.”
He encouraged parents to observe slight coughs in children, saying such require timely treatment in health facilities.
“When they get a sore throat, we need to discourage use of herbal medication or self-medication or over-the-counter medication. Sometimes, they take herbal medication and that hampers treatment,” said Dr Komen.
By last year, Kenya had registered 63 nephrology specialists and about 1,000 renal nurses in the country, which is hardly enough compared to the population in need of medication.
“We need to train more of the specialists to be able to handle more patients to do proper screening at community level and prevent misdiagnosis that often results in acute kidney disease,” said the medic.
They made the remarks during the recent annual West Kenya Nephrology Forum that brought together experts from Kenya and beyond.
Dr Michael Koech, a senior lecturer at Moi University and a nephrologist at MTRH, said kidney problems progress quietly.
“Unfortunately, the kidney doesn’t tell you when it is not well,” he said. “We are used to changes in urine and swelling, but that tends not to be prominent. A significant number of people with kidney problems tend not show any symptoms.”
He noted that an estimated five to six million Kenyans are suffering from kidney problems, adding that there was lack of awareness among members of the public and medics in Level One facilities.
As of 2022, there were over 5,000 patients seeking dialysis services in various public and private health facilities in Kenya.
Dr Koech said that there was a need for the government to set up a tissue laboratory for cross-matching.
Dr Douglas Shemin from Brown University in the United States noted that global warming was contributing to the rise in cases of kidney problems across the world.
“As the climate becomes warmer and warmer, there is evidence that people in hot climates are developing kidney injuries and chronic kidney disease due to lack of uptake of fluids,” said the expert.
Dr Jeng Jan, also a nephrologist at Brown University, lamented that patients are also misdiagnosed at the primary health centres due to lack of proper knowledge by health workers.
