Prevention of renal disease through maintenance of a healthy environment

Published on March 30, 2019

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The medical team of the Pediatric Nephrology Department of the University Clinics of Kinshasa organized, on 30th March 2019, in collaboration with the Missionary Center on Environmental Protection and Ecological Citizen "LAUDATO SI", an awareness activity on kidney diseases in children. This activity was attended by about a hundred parents of students from a few schools in the city of Kinshasa, close to the Center at 7th Street, Q. Industriel, Commune of Limete.
   

Many people mistakenly believe that children are safe from kidney disease, but unfortunately this is not the case, because like adults, children can also develop kidney disease. The main functions of the kidneys are to filter the blood, maintain the balance of water in the body, produce the hormone that stimulates the formation and growth of red blood cells, regulate blood pressure and maintain bone strength. And when the kidney can no longer perform its functions, kidney disease sets in.
 
As an asymptomatic disease in children, the first signs of the disease should be detected as far as possible. Parents should also be alerted if the child has repeated infections, such as blood in the urine or oedema in the lower limbs. They should check to see if the child wakes up with swollen eyelids, obstructs growth and complains of headaches. However, parental vigilance is required if there is a family history of kidney disease or, within the family, people have been diagnosed at an early age with diabetes or high blood pressure. In these cases, kidney diseases must be systematically detected in children. Because the causes of these diseases can also be external and related to the environment. This is how they established the connection between environmental management and the prevention of kidney disease. Certain behaviours underlying this pathology should be avoided, in particular self-medication, consumption of plant protection products and untreated water, waste cultivation, etc.

   

The team of the Missionary Center LAUDATO SI participated in this activity thanks to the presence of the Director, Mrs. NKOY MPUTU BOOTO Odile, the Executive Secretary, Mr. KUTUKA MUDIANGU Ignace and the Thematic Assistant, Miss NKOY IHOMI Caroline. In his intervention, the Executive Secretary presented to the participants the identity and mission of the Center as well as the main lines of its programme based on "environmental education". The aim of this axis of the programme is to raise awareness among all segments of the population on the various environmental issues in order to work together for the protection of the environment and ecological citizen in the light of Pope Francis' "Laudato Si" encyclical. The speaker invited school officials and parents to play a preventive role by providing their students with clean toilets in order to prevent the recurrence of urinary tract infections in their communities. They should also participate in environmental education by teaching children how to carry out the small daily actions that should be used to clean up their respective environments.

Kinshasa 30th March 2019
Miss NKOY IHOMI Caroline
Thematic Assistant