The month of March is known nationally and internationally as World Kidney Month, and in line with that, we spoke to one of the forerunners in the medical scene who led the field of nephrology in Malaysia to where it is today: Datin Dr Norella Kong. She spilled the beans (pun intended) on how to keep your kidneys in good shape.
Datin Dr Norella Kong isn't just any nephrologist. In fact, her list of accolades, experiences and qualifications can take up pages but she is notably known for her contribution to the development and expansion of medicinal education as well as nephrology in our country – which we will cover in our upcoming print issue. Now, she sits on the Board of Trustees at MAA Medicare Charitable Foundation, and is also the Professor Emeritus of Nephrology, Faculty of Medicine, UKM and ongoing Clinical Teacher of MMED (Int Med) at PPUKM.
But first, a couple of facts sourced from the National Kidney Foundation, which we may not know:
- 10% of the population worldwide is affected by chronic kidney disease and millions die each year because they do not have access to affordable treatment.
- According the 2010 Global Burden of Disease study, chronic kidney disease was ranked 27th in the list of causes of total number of deaths worldwide in 1990, but rose to 18th in 2010. This degree of movement up the list was second only to that for HIV and AIDs.
- In middle-income countries, treatment with dialysis or kidney transplantation creates a huge financial burden for the majority of the people who need it. In another 112 countries, many people cannot afford treatment at all, resulting in the death of over 1 million people annually from untreated kidney failure.
- Noncommunicable diseases (such as heart disease, diabetes, or kidney disease) have replaced communicable diseases (such as influence, malaria, or AIDs) as the most common causes of premature death worldwide. An estimated 80% of this burden occurs in low- or middle-income countries, and 25% is in people younger than 60 years.
- Chronic kidney disease can be treated. With early diagnosis and treatment, it's possible to slow or stop the progression of kidney disease.
Following that last point, here are some of the steps, as provided by Datin Dr Norella, on how you could take care of your kidneys.
1. Drink plenty of CLEAR fluids.
This means no soft drinks and all the modern health drinks. Avoid traditional and herbal drinks too. In the meantime, check out this article on H20 Myths.