How much is the Cost of dialysis in Nigeria?
The kidney is an important organ that removes waste from the blood and helps control blood pressure.
25 million Nigerians have kidney failure and 18, 000 Need Dialysis Yearly.
Dialysis performs the function of the kidneys if they’ve failed. According to the National Kidney Foundation, end-stage kidney failure occurs when the kidneys are performing at only 10 to 15 percent of their normal function.
Dialysis is a treatment that filters and purifies the blood using a machine. This helps keep your fluids and electrolytes in balance when the kidneys can’t do their job.
Dialysis has been used since the 1940s to treat people with renal problems.
When do patients need emergency dialysis?
It is easy to remember as it has a medical mnemonic that actually works – AEIOU.
See the screenshot , and read the article below for a deeper dive into when to go for a urgent dialysis.
Let’s start with the ‘easy money’ vowels:
E: Electrolytes show K>6.5 which isn’t responding to medical management
or
O: Overload/Oedema causing hypoxia, unresponsive to diuretics then dialysis should be considered to pull out the K & H2O, especially if urine output poor!
I for Ingestions: complications of nasty overdoses are also worth discussing with renal and/or ICU.
A non-exhaustive list of dialysable intoxicants:
Toxic alcohols (e.g. ethylene glycol, methanol)
Lithium
Aspirin
Metformin
Theophylline
Valproic acid
A: in refractory acidosis it is sometimes hard to say whether it is the cause or consequence of acute illness (though it is usually the consequence!!)
The key is to treat the underlying cause, and sick patients with pH <7.2 should be discussed with ICU anyway.
Lastly U for uraemia!
This one confuses most people I think. Rules of thumb:
Rare to have ‘uraemic’ indication in isolation
Delirium is almost always due to another factor in the illness, not the urea in 20s-40s
Pericarditis? Then fair enough, let me know!
Cost of Dialysis in Nigeria
Most persons living with kidney diseases that requires dialysis do it about 3 times a week. That is, 3 dialysis sessions a week. Most dialysis centres in Nigeria charge about #30,000 – #50,000 Naira for a session of dialysis. However, for subsequent sessions the price of dialysis in the same centre are discount to as low as #10,000 – #15,000 Naira. How much is dialysis in Lagos? In Lagos and other cities like Abuja, Benin City, Port Harcourt, Enugu and Ibadan, the cost of dialysis is around #27,000 Naira.
How can you protect your kidney?
• Reduce your salt intake (sodium 5-6mg daily)
• Make sure to stay hydrated. Take in at least 2 liters of water daily.
• Regularly check your blood pressure to make sure it is under control.
• Minimize your use of painkillers as they can harm the kidney if taken frequently.
• Make sure your blood sugar is controlled and regularly checked.
• Do not smoke and stay away from people who do. Smoking increases the risk of kidney cancer by 50%.
