“Health communicator calls for cheaper dialysis, stronger regulation, and early screening as families struggle with financial and emotional toll.”
Kidney disease is no longer a distant health concern for many Nigerian families, with rising cases, expensive treatment, and late detection placing patients and their relatives under severe financial and emotional strain, Medical Laboratory Scientist and health communicator, Ibraheem Olasunkanmi Qoseem, has said.
Qoseem, who raised the concern in an article, titled: “Frustration and Grieving Conversations on the Burden of Kidney Failure in Recent Times,” on the growing burden of kidney failure, said the condition had become increasingly visible in Nigerian communities, affecting families, friends, colleagues, neighbours, and students.
He described kidney disease as “life-threatening, financially draining, and psychologically traumatic”. He noted that its impact often extends beyond the patient to relatives who struggle to finance treatment and provide continuous care.
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‘Kidney disease is becoming harder to ignore’
Qoseem cited World Health Organisation (WHO) data which, he said, showed that kidney diseases had risen from the world’s 19th leading cause of death to the ninth, with deaths increasing by 95 per cent between 2000 and 2021.
He also referenced data from the Nigerian Association of Nephrology (NAN) indicating that more than 20 million Nigerians are living with kidney disease, while about 20,000 people progress to end-stage kidney disease annually and require dialysis or transplantation.
“These are hard truths and bitter realities of our communal circumstance,” he said.
He questioned why kidney disease appeared to be becoming increasingly common.
He noted that kidney disease has several risk factors, including diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. Poor management of these conditions over many years, he explained, can progressively impair kidney function.
Qoseem also pointed to dietary habits, particularly excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, energy drinks and highly processed foods, as concerns because they can contribute to conditions associated with kidney damage.
Self-medication, herbal remedies raise concern
The health communicator cautioned Nigerians against indiscriminate use of medicines, particularly prolonged or inappropriate consumption of some painkillers.
He also raised concerns about unregulated herbal preparations and warned that products marketed as natural are not automatically safe.
“Not every product presented as natural is automatically safe,” he stated.
He added that unknown ingredients, contamination, and adulteration could expose consumers to serious health risks.
Qoseem further identified environmental contamination as an area requiring closer attention. He cited investigations into environmental factors associated with kidney disease in Gashua, Yobe State, and questioned whether similar risks in other Nigerian communities had received sufficient scrutiny.
Cost of treatment compounds patients’ ordeal
For Nigerians who develop kidney failure, treatment can become a relentless financial commitment.
Qoseem pinpointed dialysis could cost at least N30,000 per session, depending on the facility and circumstances. Patients requiring repeated sessions can therefore face substantial expenses over time.
Kidney transplantation, where available and medically suitable, also involves considerable expenditure. The financial responsibility does not end with the operation, as recipients may require lifelong medication and regular medical monitoring.
“The financial burden, emotional exhaustion and uncertainty that come with managing kidney disease are realities many families quietly endure,” he said.
He called on state governments to explore sustainable measures to subsidise dialysis and expand access to kidney-care services.
He also acknowledged federal efforts to reduce dialysis costs in selected government hospitals, while noting that shortages of equipment, infrastructure and skilled personnel can limit the reach of such interventions.
Prevention should start before kidney damage
Qoseem said government action should extend beyond treatment to prevention.
He called for stronger oversight of food and beverage products, medicines, herbal preparations, and industrial activities that could pose health risks.
He also encouraged Nigerians to undergo routine medical checks, particularly those with known risk factors for kidney disease.
He recommended that medical outreach programmes include urinalysis and appropriate kidney-function assessments, with people who record abnormal results referred for further evaluation.
“Early detection can help identify people who need further evaluation before the disease progresses,” he said.
Qoseem also encouraged Nigerians to adopt healthier diets, reduce excessive consumption of carbonated and energy drinks, stay physically active, avoid unnecessary self-medication, and properly manage hypertension and diabetes.
For those already living with kidney disease, he appealed for greater support from families and communities.
“Support them. Stand with them,” he urged .
In his conclusion, he warned that prevention, early detection, and accessible treatment could help spare more Nigerian families from the devastating consequences of kidney failure.
