NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Just two days before World Diabetes Day, the Peer Educators Student Movement of the Bahamas Kidney Association (BKA) held its first slogan and poster competition and fun walk to raise awareness for kidney health in The Bahamas. Noting that diabetes and hypertension are the two main causes of kidney disease, Bahamas Kidney Association President Tamika Roberts expressed the importance of working with and through youth to reduce instances of kidney failure in The Bahamas.  “We must involve students in these kinds of initiatives for the future health of our nation. Educating these students on the importance of diet, exercise, and adequate water intake, can definitely have a positive impact on The Bahamas,” said Roberts.  “I believe that once this generation begins to make these changes, then we as a Bahamian people will begin to see over time, a decline in kidney disease, hypertension, and diabetes. These things affect the Bahamian population and affect the black community at large.”  Some 70 students participated in the slogan and poster competition and represented a myriad of schools including Doris Johnson Senior High, L.W. Young Junior High, Windsor School, Bahamas Academy, Queen’s College, Temple Christian School, C.R. Walker Senior High, St. John’s College, Aquinas College, and St. Andrew’s Anglican School. A total of 41 slogans and 12 posters were submitted.  Before the winners were announced, students and supporters of the BKA participated in a fun walk from Arawak Cay to Rawson Square and back. The group showcased signs and chanted slogans along the way to help raise awareness while handing out informational pamphlets and flyers to drivers and pedestrians along the way.  Arjun Shetty, President of the Student Volunteer Branch of the Bahamas Kidney Association said a lot of planning went into preparations for the event. He also highlighted the importance of the involvement of students.  “Now we know how to prevent it so when we become older, we’re not the ones afflicted by the disease,” Shetty said.  “We want to bring down the statistics of not only chronic kidney disease but things like diabetes, hypertension, and other diseases in our country.”  Winners were announced on Saturday, November 12 at Arawak Cay. The winning slogan was “water and greens will keep your Kidneys clean,” presented by Derenicka Devine from L.W. Young. Kaiwana Richardson, also from the school, placed second with “be wise and exercise… let your kidneys stay alive!” Queen’s College’s Gregory Stubbs took home the third place pride with “there is wealth in Kidney health”.  Placing first in the high school division for the poster competition was Dashon Smith of Bahamas Academy, while Aryan Shetty of Queen’s College won the primary division.  The Bahamas Kidney Association was registered in 2021 as a non-profit organization. Peer Educators Student Movement was created in September of 2022.  For more information on the BKA, to attend or volunteer at upcoming events or to donate, bahamaskidneyassociation.org.

In The Bahamas, kidney diseases accounted for 30.9 deaths per 100,000 population in 2019, according to a Pan American Health Organization report. This risk of mortality (60 to 80 percent) puts The Bahamas in fourth quintile of all countries, based on information provided in the “Burden of Kidney Diseases in the Region of the Americas, 2000-2019” report. “Kidney diseases are ranked as the eighth cause of mortality, the 10th cause of years of life lost, and the 10th cause of disability-adjusted life years in both sexes combined, and one of the causes with the highest rate of increase in the region,” according to the report. Globally, an average of 10 to 13 percent of the adult population is battling chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, local statistics are much harder to come by. Bahamas Kidney Association (BKA) President Tamika Roberts said that needs to change. “It is a concern that we have discussed with the ministry and minister of health and we are looking to partner with them in the near future to get better statistics locally,” she said. “We note that the statistics worldwide is high and we believe that the local statistics will mirror the same. “Our role is to bring awareness to the disease to reduce the instances of kidney disease. “We usually give out about 300 care packages every year for kidney patients. That number is just a fraction of the patient population and it’s localized to New Providence, so you can imagine this is a growing problem. We believe that with our efforts to bring awareness, we can help to reduce the number.” With March being kidney month, there is heightened focus on bringing awareness to kidney health and encouraging people to support kidney disease research, and for people to take steps to keep their own kidneys safe and healthy. “We would like Bahamians to be more aware of the disease, its signs and how to help those suffering from the disease,” Roberts continued. “The theme for kidney month is ‘Kidney health for all: Preparing for the unexpected, supporting the vulnerable’. That theme encompasses what we would like Bahamians to get from the month. Our work is all about helping Bahamians learn the signs of kidney disease and prevent the disease. Our work also supports those currently suffering from the disease.” The most common causes of CKD include diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), inflammatory disease of the kidneys and cystic kidney disease. Global statistics show that many people have kidney disease, but are unaware. Roberts underscored the importance of prioritizing your health. “Some of the symptoms that people should look out for include change in urine color, fatigue, swelling in your body, and loss of appetite,” she said. “If they are experiencing any of these signs, or any other discomfort, please see a healthcare provider and make your health a priority.” Nephrologist Dr. Adrian Sawyer said, “Diabetic kidney disease accounts for the largest single category of CKD/end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) worldwide. “In the USA, approximately 46 percent of the patients on dialysis, or transplant, have diabetes as the primary cause of kidney failure. In Europe, the figure averages to 20 percent. The last time data was analyzed for The Bahamas, the figure was 38 percent. “Hypertension accounts for approximately 20 to 25 percent of causes of CKD/ESRD. One in four adults have hypertension and increases to two in four with aging. Hypertension damages kidneys via damage to the small blood vessels in the kidney. At the commencement of Stage 5 CKD, of whatever cause, approximately 85 to 90 percent of patients have hypertension. “Inflammatory disease of the kidneys – damage related to inflammation in anatomical compartments of the kidney – are the next leading cause of CKD/ESKD.” Sawyer also addressed the high costs associated with care for those with kidney diseases. Roberts said the association does what it can to ease the burden and provide support. “We provide monthly educational sessions for kidney patients and we have a medication assistance program where we offer free Nephrovite and Calcium Carbonate (Tums) for enrolled patients,” she said. “The pilot phase of our medication assistance program was rolled out September 2022. We had 30 patients who benefitted from the program. And with your donation, we would like to increase that number this year.” Over the weekend, BKA donated 300 care packages to kidney patients. The bags contained masks, sanitizing wipes, tums, a card of encouragement and other items to uplift the spirit of kidney patients. Roberts said, “This is important for them to know that they are not forgotten. We want them to know that their concerns are heard and the BKA is advocating on their behalf; that they are not on this journey alone. We care and they matter like everyone else.” The team visited Renal Med & Associates, The Kidney Clinic, Renal House, PMH Dialysis Unit and Dialysis Centre Bahamas to make the donation. As kidney month continues, the next major awareness event is a fun run and walk on Saturday, March 18 at 6:00 a.m.  A health expo will follow and will feature medical institutions like Cleveland Clinic, Baptist Health, Oaktree Medical and The Walk-In Clinic. Other vendors include Colina, Commonwealth Brewery, Nassau Agencies, and NHI.

I think the average patient is aware of the importance of food and drink in helping the body heal and recover from ill-ness. Nearly always is the question asked. “Doctor is there anything special I should or should NOT eat or drink?” Apart from special medications prescribed by the physician, there are a few other diseases of the body, apart from diabetes, when fluids and the correct food are so vital. Patients are exhorted to drink plenty of fluids (excluding alcohol) if they have kidney or bladder infection. The increased fluid helps “flush” the kidneys and bladder and helps get the medication prescribed through the kidneys and bladder to pro-mote healing and rapid recovery. A well-balanced diets also promotes healing of tissues, wherever damaged. A special exception to the edict “drink plenty of fluids” is in the case of kidney failure. Most of us know that the kidneys excrete the poisonous wastes accumulated in the body, and that they also excrete water. If the kidneys are not working properly, to the extent that they cannot get rid of the excess water in the system, or the poisonous wastes, then it is vital that the intake of food and fluid be modified so as to put as little strain as possible on the damaged kidneys. In this particular instance, then – the kidney failure (NOT kidney infection) – the patient is advised to restrict fluids (i.e. to consume as little water as possible) or else the excess will accumulate in the face causing puffy eyes; the hands and feet become swollen. This type of swelling does NOT go down overnight – in fact it will not go down even with diuretics (“water tablets” as they are commonly known) because the kidneys are too “ill” to respond. Therefore it is imperative that the sufferer from kidney failure keep his fluid intake down to the prescribed amount. It is often necessary also to restrict protein intake (i.e. meat, fish, eggs, ham, pork), as the wastes made from these foodstuffs cannot excreted by the ailing kidney and accumulate to poisonous levels in the patient’s blood stream. These poisonous wastes cause headaches, itching in the skin, twitching of the muscles, severe weakness and lassitude sometimes leading on to coma and even death. Hence, in cases of kidney failure the protein in the diet has to be severely restricted. The third substance which often has to be restricted is salt – that glorious substance which makes most foods taste so good. We feel that we may as well be given life imprisonment as to be told we cannot have salt in our food. Well, salt can be harmful because: It causes blood pressure to remain high and it is a known fact that high blood pressure, which causes strokes, heart attack and kidney failure, is one of the major causes of death in the Bahamas.It causes the body to retain fluid, especially water. This results in swelling of the face, hands and feet. This fluid also collects in the lungs and causes shortness of breath so that the sufferer can hardly get dressed without stopping two or three times to “catch a breath”.This excess fluid can precipitate heart failure, which is often fatal. These then are the basic restrictions as regards to fluid and diet in certain types of kidney disorders. What then may the poor patient eat? If the condition is one of kidney failure, then the diet is vital to survival. Fluids must be restricted so as to avoid swelling and congestion of the heart, lungs and brain. Protein and salt must be restricted according to the degree of failure of the kidneys. The doctor must give the individual patient a special diet sheet which the patient should place in a visible place and not in a drawer where it will be forgotten. Foods good for kidney infections are water, milk, tea, (fruit juices may be good for some, too acid for others), meat, fish, conch, rice, grits and vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, sweet peppers, okra. Foods safe for kidney failure patients are unfortunately restricted to low salt small amounts of protein, e.g. one to two eggs per week or one portion of fish every three days; plenty of rice, grits, potatoes, a small amount of oatmeal, some jams and jellies, fruits low in potassium content, bread. These patients must be on diets made up to fit the particular aspects of their kidney failure. As soon as such a patient can get artificial kidney treatments or dialysis, then the diet is made less rigid and a greater variety of food may be enjoyed. The best course is always to ask what is safe to eat or drink – and when told, to take heed of the advice given. “it is vital that the intake of food and fluid be modified so as to put as little strain as possible on the damaged kidneys”