The kidney is one of the crucial organs of the human body, and a warning rang out from one of Nigerian experts for fellow citizens to beware. The director of the University of Ilorin Health Services, Dr. Rasheed Odunola advised Nigerians who watch their urines. Not just the colour, but its foaminess. If it foams, go for a check, it could be evidence of a kidney disease.
According to him, if it happens on a regular basis, it may be a warning signal and it could indicate that the organ may be leaking protein in the urine.
While listing the functions of the kidney, he also urged the government to provide dialysis machines for public hospitals and train health officials on how to use them in order to alleviate those suffering from kidney diseases.
The value of kidney, two bean-shaped organs in the abdomen, can be understated for any person’s general well-being.
“The kidneys carefully control the salt and water in the body and keep the bones healthy, among others,” he explained. The symptoms of kidney disease include trouble sleeping, a frequent and urgent urge to urinate, feeling of exhaustion and lack of concentration.
He also noted that lifestyles also play a role in the growth of the disease, and so he asked Nigerians to eat healthy diet, drink a lot of water, reduce salt and alcohol intake and eschew smoking, so as to check blood pressure and blood sugar.
It must be noted, though, that foamy urines do not always indicate kidney problem, although it is a cause. It could be a slew of other reasons. In some cases, it could be benign, and may not be caused by any abnormality. Some scientists call it “false signal.” It may happen that a person urinates in a toilet bowl but the foam quickly dissipates and disappears. That may not be related to kidney function problems. Others may even have it outside the toilet bowl and it may not derive from any underlying reason.
Another reason could also caused by dehydration, and that is why people ought to drink enough water so enough fluid can normalise the urine output. The other reason could also be due to pain relievers for urinary tract infections. It could also be a result of sperm depositing in the urethra, especially after sex.
But whatever the situation, Dr. Odunola’s warning hints at something fundamental about the medical attitude among Nigerians: a certain non-chalance to their health.
This makes Nigerians shun the need to do regular health checks. A strong fatalism in the culture, rooted in the mystical submission to the Almighty, impels many to believe that their health already is under a special kind of care.
Hence, we see not a few people, in their young and middle ages, develop illnesses that they could have checked early and stanched before they get out of hand. Early traces of malignancies, for instance, have metastasized into their fatal hours because of such beliefs that “it was to be.”
Religious leaders have not helped matters. Some of them take secret trips abroad for regular medical care while condemning as faithless the attitudes of those who consult doctors. We must also note that poor medical testing equipment and analysis have led Nigerians, through wrong diagnosis and prognosis, to early graves. This has even affected prominent citizens who did not know what was killing them until they travelled out of the country.
Many Nigerians have cited costs as reasons for not undertaking costs. We urge government to mitigate this burden so as many Nigerians as possible can undertake checks and obviate warning signals.