Times of Eswatini employees sensitised on kidney failure
MBABANE – The overuse of alcohol, smoking and healing potions affects the kidneys.
(timbita) Makhosazane Fakudze who is a nurse attached to the Chronic Kidney Disease Foundation said the overuse of such could also result to renal failure (chronic kidney disease). She was speaking at the Times of Eswatini offices yesterday, when sensitising employees on the importance of taking care of kidneys.
According to Centres for Disease Control, chronic kidney disease is a condition in which the kidneys are damaged and cannot filter blood as they should. Because of this, excess fluid and waste from blood remain in the body and may cause other health problems, such as heart diseases and strokes.
“Kidneys play vital role in our lives. They remove waste such as poisonous salty substances and regulate blood pressure. Once the kidneys get affected it is hard to remove all the unwanted waste from the blood. Taking substances with narcotics is dangerous to our body. People abusing alcohol, or smoking must quit while it is early,” she said.
She said there were more men than women on treatment for renal failure in Eswatini, as the ratio of men to women diagnosed with chronic kidney disease was six to two.
Diagnosed
Fakudze further said chronic kidney disease could affect anyone, as it was also hereditary. She said patients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and HIV/ AIDS were at high risk of having renal failure.
She shared that since chronic kidney disease was a silent killer and affected all people, it was important for emaSwati to go for medical checkups twice a year.
She noted that some people with kidney problems were prone to hallucinate at night or suffer from depression. “Other symptoms of having a renal failure include tiredness, swollen hands, feet and face, loss of appetite, vomiting, headache. This illness is a silent killer,” she said.
She then pleaded with emaSwati to always take care of themselves by visiting the hospital anytime they experienced abnormalities in their lives.
Fakudze said other signs of chronic kidney disease included loss of appetite, headache, swollen feet, hands and face, tiredness.
Analyising the diet for people with kidney failure, she said they should no longer eat traditional food such as okra (ligusha), black jack, spinach, beans and fruits. Fakudze said some of the food contained too much salt, phosphate and potassium.
Fakudze encouraged people to always drink enough water. Nkosinathi Dlamini, who is the Chief Executive Officer said their mandate was to raise awareness about chronic kidney disease, which he said was worse than HIV/AIDS.