Nephrology and Renal Care
Kidney assessment, chronic kidney disease management and haemodialysis, supported by our dedicated dialysis and ICU centre in Yaba.
Kidney disease is quiet. A person can lose most of their kidney function before symptoms appear, which is why so many Nigerians first learn they have chronic kidney disease at the point where dialysis is already necessary. That is the worst possible moment to find out, medically and financially.
Our nephrology service is built around catching it earlier and managing it properly, and where dialysis becomes necessary, delivering it at our dedicated dialysis and intensive care centre in Yaba rather than sending patients to find a chair somewhere else in Lagos.
Who should have their kidneys checked
Kidney screening is cheap, quick and enormously underused. Anyone in the following groups should have kidney function and urinalysis checked at least annually, whether or not they feel unwell.
- Anyone with high blood pressure, which is the leading cause of kidney failure in Nigeria
- Anyone with diabetes
- Anyone with a family history of kidney disease
- People with sickle cell disease
- Regular users of non steroidal anti inflammatory painkillers
- Anyone taking herbal or traditional preparations of unknown composition, which are a significant and often unrecognised cause of kidney injury
- Adults over sixty
What the tests actually mean
Serum creatinine on its own is a poor guide because it varies with muscle mass. What matters is the estimated glomerular filtration rate calculated from it, which places you on a five stage scale of kidney function.
Just as important is urinalysis, specifically the presence of protein in the urine. Protein leaking into urine is often the earliest visible sign of kidney damage, appearing long before creatinine moves at all, and it is detected by a test that costs very little.
Ultrasound of the kidneys tells us about size, structure, obstruction and stones. Together these three, function, protein and structure, give a picture that is usually enough to decide what happens next.
Slowing the disease down
In the early stages the goal is not cure, it is delay, and delay is achievable. Rigorous blood pressure control, tight glucose control in diabetics, specific medications that reduce protein leakage, stopping nephrotoxic drugs, controlling salt and protein intake, and treating anaemia and bone mineral disturbance all extend the years before dialysis is needed.
Patients who engage with this early frequently gain years. Patients who do not usually arrive at dialysis considerably sooner than they needed to.
When dialysis is needed
Dialysis becomes necessary when the kidneys can no longer clear waste and fluid adequately, typically in stage five chronic kidney disease, or acutely in sudden kidney failure with dangerous potassium levels, fluid overload or uraemia.
SkyHigh provides haemodialysis at the SkyHigh Medical Dialysis and ICU Centre inside Mainland Hospital, Yaba. The unit takes chronic programme patients, emergency dialysis and referrals from other hospitals, and it sits alongside our intensive care beds so that a patient who deteriorates does not have to move.
What this will cost you
Cost depends on what you actually need, and we would rather quote you accurately than post a figure that turns out not to apply. Call the front desk or send us a message with what you have been told so far, and we will give you the figure before anything is booked. If you hold an HMO plan we will check what it covers for this specific treatment first.
Common questions
Is kidney damage reversible?
Acute kidney injury often is, if the cause is treated quickly. Chronic kidney disease generally is not, but its progression can be slowed substantially, which is why early detection matters so much.
Are herbal remedies really a risk?
Yes, and it is one of the more common causes of kidney injury we see. Many preparations contain substances that are directly toxic to the kidney, and because the composition is unknown there is no safe dose. Tell your doctor about anything you are taking.
How often is dialysis needed?
Most patients on a chronic haemodialysis programme have two to three sessions a week, each lasting around four hours. Your nephrologist sets the prescription based on your residual function, body size and blood results.
Who you will see
Care in this department is coordinated by our clinical team at Magodo, with specialist input arranged where your condition calls for it. If you would like to be seen by a particular clinician, say so when you book and we will arrange it where the clinic schedule allows.
Next step
Speak to someone now, or book a time that suits you
The front desk answers at every hour of the day. If it is urgent, call. If it can wait, the booking form takes about two minutes.