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According to the nephrologist at KATH, Dr. Anima Safo, seven out of the ten children who reported the condition at the health facility have already died due to the lack of paediatric dialysis machine in the region making it difficult to handle kidney conditions among children.
"From 2013, we officially started collecting data and per year we get 30-35 kids who need kidney transplants at Komfo Anokye. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to save any of the kids that come in. They all die when they get to end-stage renal disease. We even lost one this month.
"Even with those who have the funds, we put them on the adult dialysis, they do one today and the next day they tell you the money is not ready. We’ve seen about 10 cases so far this year. Some have passed and some are hanging in there [It’s like sitting on a timebomb]. Out of the 10, 7 have passed...From the data we have, the age range is from 5 to 14 years," Dr. Anima Safo said.
She, therefore, called for an urgent establishment of a paediatric dialysis centre in the Ashanti region.
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"We need a pediatric dialysis machine in every region. You’ll be surprised where we get referrals from. If we get at least 2 in every region, we can handle acute dialysis. Once you get the kidney disease, make sure you take your follow-up seriously because when you do the doctors are able to pick it up early before it gets to the end-stage renal disease," Dr. Anima said in an interview on Accra-based Starr FM.
She advised Ghanaians to regularly check on the health of their kidneys.
She said "Make sure you eat a healthy diet. Drink a lot of water, exercise. Check your blood level. Check if you have a family history. Don't smoke and don't abuse drugs. The sad thing is, about 70% of the cases that come are new and when you do the diagnosis, you realize they have end-stage renal disease. 30% are cases that come regularly."
Kidney disease in children is complicated and sometimes results from multiple medical conditions and can cause serious health issues.
Common causes are prematurity, birth defects, hereditary diseases, an infection like diarrhea, pneumonia, nephrotic syndrome, systemic diseases, trauma, drugs, and urine blockage.