High alcohol intake, aphrodisiacs killing men – Specialist

More men are dying of kidney diseases than women, records from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital have shown.

Though studies are yet to conclude on the causes of the increasing male deaths arising out of kidney failures, doctors are pointing to high intake of alcoholic beverages and aphrodisiacs.

Records at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital show that one in every 10 patients is diagnosed of kidney-related issues.

Despite the staggering figures, screening for kidney status is low.

Kidney specialists say the disease which could be life-threatening, is among the top 10 diseases claiming the lives of patients at the health facility.

According to health experts, while in some countries people in their 60s and 70s those often diagnosed to have kidney issues, the situation is different in Ghana because it is prevalent among persons in their 30s and 40s.

Kidney Specialist Dr Elliot Tannor Koranteng described the situation as worrying.

“It is a worrying trend to see more people in their prime ages reporting of kidney diseases in Ghana.

“Elsewhere in world, people in advanced ages of sixties and seventies are diagnosed with kidney diseases but that is not the case in our hospitals,” he observed.

He said at KATH alone, the average age of persons reporting kidney cases are in their forties.

“Averagely, we see people with kidney diseases who are in their forties. In some cases some are even in their teens and this should be a source of concern for us all,” Dr Koranteng told 3news.com

More men are reporting kidney diseases but the underlying factor cannot be traced, he indicated.

“All the genders are reporting issues with kidney but the men turn to report more and also die more of kidney failure,” he observed.

Dr. Koranteng said he suspects the high intake of alcohol and aphrodisiacs could be a causative factor.

“There are a lot of aphrodisiacs on the market which are touted to boost sexual performance and the men are taking these aphrodisiacs and high volumes of alcohol and these can have adverse effect on the kidneys,” he noted.

He thus advised against intake of aphrodisiacs and alcohol, and urged people to regularly check their hypertension level as well as diabetes status, which he said, were some of the risk factors.