A Consultant Nephrologist at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Kwara State, Dr. Timothy Olanrewaju, and the Chief Executive Director, Worthy Life Education and Health Foundation, Mrs. Ruth Abayomi, have said that Chronic Kidney Disease in children and adults is on the rise.

They spoke at an awareness programme in commemoration of the World Kidney Day in Jebba, Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State.

Olanrewaju, who said CKD affected 10 per cent of the world population, noted that it affected about 15 million Nigerian children. According to him, a data of seven communities screened in seven councils in the state shows that 15 per cent of apparently healthy people have CKD.

The nephrologist said the major causes of the disease in children were recurrent infections, congenital or inherited diseases; while in adults the causes were hypertension, infections including HIV, diabetes, obstruction to urine tracts, and use of toxic drugs, herbs and chemicals.

Describing CKD as a progressive disease, he added that it was not curable and could induce other fatal diseases such as heart failure or stroke, leading to early death or disability.

According to him, if CKD is not detected early, it may progress to kidney failure and the affected individuals will require dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive. He noted that the majority of Nigerians would not afford the costs of these treatments, and so they could die in their productive age.