Self-medicating with painkillers ‘could cause kidney failure’

Zumnan Gimba, a consultant in the University Teaching Hospital Jos (JUTH), says the abuse of painkiller, strong antibiotics and self-medication could cause kidney failure.

Gimba, a nephrologist, made this known in an interview with NAN in Jos.

Nephrology is a branch of medicine concerned with the study and treatment of diseases of the kidneys.

He said the indiscriminate intake of drugs such as painkillers and strong antibiotics could damage the kidney and eventually lead to kidney failure.

He warned people who indulged in such acts to desist from it, adding that such abuses were highly detrimental to health.

According to him, if diseases such as hypertension and diabetes are not properly managed, they can also lead to the damage of the kidney.

“People who are in a habit of taking excessive salt and certain herbal concoctions can induce damage to the kidney,’’ he said.

Gimba advised individuals with a family history of kidney diseases to ensure that they have regular kidney function tests as the disease could also be hereditary.

He also urged people to inculcate the habit of ensuring that they check their blood sugar level and blood pressure always.

“My advice to people is that they should ensure they eat healthy food and take only prescribed drugs as directed by medical expert,” he said.