How to keep your kidneys safe
We’ve all been in our homes more often than before since the pandemic hit. One of our routines that probably changed would be our eating habits. During the early stages of the lockdown, it was difficult for some household to visit the market or the grocery due to the fear of getting sick. Some relied on food deliveries and most of these meals are from fast food restaurants since they are more affordable and can feed an entire family. But since these meals are frequently fried, high in cholesterol, and have additives that we’re unaware of, it can categorically trigger a looming illness that may affect our kidneys.
Kidney disease is the 10th cause of death in our country and it’s deemed a “silent killer,” because it has no symptoms until the critical stages of the sickness. According to an article from the University of the Philippines’ website for their webinar called Dialysis and COVID-19: Challenges and Opportunities, one Filipino dies of kidney failure every hour, and that in 2020, there are close to 35,000 people who undergo dialysis and kidney treatment in the country.
Just like any comorbidity, people who have kidney disease and kidney transplant have a higher possibility of having severe COVID-19 symptoms.
In line with our advocacy of promoting kidney awareness as we celebrate World Kidney Month this March, we invited Nephrologist Dr. Frederick Verano on Pamilya Talk’s “Okay, Doc”.
Dr. Verano shared that because of the pandemic, some patients with kidney diseases have not been able to go to the hospital or dialysis centers the past two years. “Noong 2021, hindi natin dama yung dami ng tao na may sakit sa bato, pero sa mga last quarter ng 2021 at first quarter ng 2022, nararamdaman natin na napakarami ng pasyente ang mga bumabalik sa ospital at nagpapatingin sa kanilang mga doktor, Ito yung mga hindi nakapagfollow-up dahil sa pandemya. Marami po sa kanila ay nagkaroon na ng progression ang sakit sa bato o yung mga dating diabetic o hypertensive lang noon na ngayon ay rinerefer na ng mga attending nila dahil nakikitaan na ng mga sintomas ng problema sa bato.”
Kidneys 101
Our kidneys are very important organs in our body. They keep our blood clean and chemically balanced. This is probably the most crucial function of our kidneys. Protein is important to our body. But after being utilized, it produces waste products which should be excreted from the body. Our kidneys filter the blood, as well as the waste products which we release in our urine. Creatinine and urea are also waste products in our blood that’s being filtered by our kidneys.
Our kidneys also keep the volume of water in our body constant. This is the second most important job of our kidneys. It basically regulates the balance of fluid in our body by expelling extra water as urine and then retaining the right level of water that our body needs for us to live. Excess water in our body leads to bloating. Read More…
