A Consultant Nephrologist, Dr. Theophillus Umeizudike, on Thursday, said women are more at risk of developing Chronic Kidney Disease than men.
Umeizudike, who works at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, made this known in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.
He spoke against the backdrop of the World Kidney Day marked annually on the second Thursday in March.
The 2018 WKD coincides with International Women’s Day, marked annually on March 8 and the theme for this year’s WKD is “Kidneys and Women’s Health: Include, Value, Empower.”
The consultant said factors such as pregnancy-induced hypertension, unwanted pregnancies resulting in abortion, and auto-immune diseases put women at risk of kidney disease.
Umeizudike added, “women with progressing pregnancies may be at risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension which usually tends to affect teenagers or those in their early 20s and late 40s.
“Also, those who have had many children may be at risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension, a risk factor for pre-eclampsia or eclampsia and these can impact on both mother and child.
“The other aspect of women’s health that makes them prone to kidney disease is that women tend to have auto-immune diseases, a condition where the body fights itself.
“The diseases common to women include systemic lupus erythematosus, arthritis, and many other disorders which affect the kidneys.”
He, therefore, advised women of reproductive age and were pregnant to register in a health facility to be well monitored during pregnancy.
He noted that “one in five per cent of women may be affected by pregnancy-induced hypertension and so they need to be detected early to prevent complications.
“Usually, women who were treated for eclampsia during pregnancy may have their blood pressures normalised after delivery.
“However, some years down the line, the woman may be at risk of developing hypertension, a risk factor for kidney disease.
“So, if treated during pregnancy, women still need to be monitored to be sure she is not developing hypertension or it is not persisting.
“Women should also imbibe the culture of checking their health status on yearly basis to be sure that there is nothing wrong with their vital organs.