Health
What people born with one kidney should know — Nephrologists
Nephrologists have said that people born with one kidney face a higher risk of developing kidney complications if they are obese or engage in an unhealthy lifestyle.
The kidney specialists explained that while individuals with a single kidney can live healthy and normal lives, excess body weight, poor diet, physical inactivity, herbal remedies, and abuse of painkillers can place additional strain on the remaining kidney.
The experts noted that these factors may accelerate kidney damage and increase the risk of chronic kidney disease over time.
The kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs that sit just below the rib cage. The organs play an important role by helping remove waste products from the body, maintaining electrolyte levels, and regulating blood pressure.
Renal agenesis is a medical condition where an individual is born with one kidney instead of two, while kidney dysplasia is when a person is born with two kidneys, but only one of them is functional.
Globally, an estimated one in 2,000 babies is born each year with kidney agenesis, a condition where newborns have one or no kidneys.
Additionally, between one in 1,000 and one in 4,300 babies are born with kidney dysplasia, a condition where the kidneys do not develop properly during pregnancy. Some even go on to develop complications that leave them no choice but to live with a single kidney, according to onlymyhealth.com
Speaking exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise, the nephrologists advised individuals born with or living with one kidney to adopt healthy lifestyles and undergo regular medical check-ups.
A consultant paediatric nephrologist at University College Hospital, Ibadan, Dr Debo Ademola, said that while most people born with one kidney live healthy lives, some may develop health issues later.
He explained that being born with one kidney is one of the developmental abnormalities grouped under congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract.
“Many people who are born with one kidney live completely normal lives. However, in some cases, there may be associated problems. Sometimes, the remaining kidney may also have abnormalities affecting the way it functions or the way urine drains from it.
“Whether the person develops problems depends largely on the condition of the remaining kidney. If that kidney is healthy and functioning well, the person may never experience any significant problems,” he said.
Ademola explained that children are born with one kidney when something goes wrong during the development of the kidneys before birth.
According to him, it may be that one kidney never formed at all, or it formed abnormally and gradually became smaller and smaller until it disappeared.
He said obesity and poor lifestyle habits are particularly risky for people born with one kidney.
“People born with one kidney should pay close attention to maintaining a healthy weight because becoming overweight or obese can place additional stress on the remaining kidney.
“When someone has only one functioning kidney, that kidney enlarges over time to compensate for the missing one. Part of the reason it enlarges is that the nephrons themselves become larger and work harder. This increased workload, known as hyperfiltration, allows the single kidney to compensate for the absent kidney. However, in some cases, prolonged hyperfiltration can itself contribute to kidney damage.
“Ordinarily, this is not common. However, if the person also becomes obese or develops other conditions that increase the kidney’s workload, the risk of kidney damage becomes higher. As a result, some people may develop high blood pressure (hypertension) or chronic kidney disease later in life,” he said.
The paediatric nephrologist said that to live a healthy and longer life, people born with one kidney must preserve and protect the remaining kidney.
He recommended regular medical checkups, avoiding substances that could damage the kidneys, a healthy diet, a healthy lifestyle, and regular exercise.
“The person should see a doctor once or twice a year to have their blood pressure checked and their urine tested for protein, which can indicate kidney damage. For children, especially, periodic ultrasound scans may be done to ensure the remaining kidney is growing normally,” he said.
According to him, the single kidney becomes larger over time because it is compensating for the missing kidney by doing the work of both.
Ademola said, “People with one kidney should also avoid substances that can damage the kidneys. For example, they should not use painkillers from the group known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs excessively, because these medications can harm the kidneys.
“They should also inform their doctor that they have only one kidney so that medications can be prescribed appropriately. For instance, doctors may avoid certain antibiotics, such as aminoglycosides, because they can be toxic to the kidneys.
“People with one kidney should also be cautious about taking herbal preparations or traditional medicines whose ingredients are unknown, because they may contain substances that can damage the kidneys.”
He added, “Avoid excessive salt intake because it increases the risk of high blood pressure, which can damage the kidneys. Drink adequate amounts of water to prevent dehydration, since dehydration can also increase the risk of kidney injury. A healthy diet is recommended, just as it is for everyone else.
“Exercise is also important, but people with a single kidney should be careful about participating in contact or combat sports where there is a high risk of injury to the kidney. Examples include boxing, wrestling, rugby, and similar sports involving heavy body contact.”
Also speaking, a Professor of Medicine (Nephrology) at the Lagos State University College of Medicine, Jacob Awobusuyi, said people born with one kidney can live a normal life, adding that the condition isn’t a death sentence.
“Being born with a single kidney doesn’t mean a shorter life. Many of them do live reasonable lives till old age,” Awobusuyi, who is the Head of Nephrology and Kidney Transplant, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, told PUNCH Healthwise in an earlier interview.
He, however, explained that they are more prone to developing hypertension than people with two kidneys.
Awobusuyi said, “They are prone to developing kidney failure compared to people born with two kidneys, and some of them have some other abnormalities that may not even be related to the kidney per se. They may also be prone to infection – urinary tract infection – especially in childhood. But by and large, if they survive till adulthood, they live a reasonable life.”
He, however, advised women born or living with the condition to prioritise antenatal care when they get pregnant.
“Those of them who are women, when they get pregnant, they need to come under care early and not that they would get pregnant and not access antenatal care. When they get pregnant, the doctor needs to monitor their kidney functions because pregnancy puts a lot of pressure on the kidneys,” the nephrologist said.
Copyright PUNCH
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: [email protected]
