Kidney Disease in the UAE
The World Health Organisation notes that an estimated 674 million people suffer from chronic kidney diseases worldwide. The most severe form, kidney failure, requires dialysis or a transplant to sustain life.
Kidney diseases are an important health concern in the UAE. Conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension contribute to the prevalence of chronic kidney diseases. In fact, the UAE has one of the highest prevalences of diabetes in the world.
In the UAE, particularly, the prevalence of treated kidney failure was 152 per million in 2023 (ISN-Global Kidney Health Atlas). The number is believed to have risen since then, requiring urgent data to define the prevalence of kidney diseases clearly.
Many patients are diagnosed only after significant kidney damage has already occurred. That’s because kidney disease can develop gradually and cause few symptoms in its early stages.
This guide walks you through the symptoms and treatment options for kidney diseases in the UAE. It also shares preventive measures to help you stay healthy over time.
Why Should You Focus on Your Kidney’s Health
Your kidneys are responsible for flushing out the waste and extra fluids from your body. They’re also responsible for maintaining a balance of salt, water, and minerals. Additionally, they create hormones that control your blood pressure and make red blood cells.
When your kidneys don’t function properly, all the waste and bodily fluids start building up, causing several other concerns.
Symptoms of Kidney Dysfunction
CKD is a significant burden in the UAE because of risk factors like diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. A larger study conducted between 2020 and 2024 reveals that 4-5% of the 700,000 people in the sample were identified as having CKD stage 3-5. It’s important to note that males and expatriates have a higher relative risk compared to others.
Below are some important signs and symptoms you will notice when your kidneys don’t function normally.
Drop in energy levels and fatigue.
Fatigue is a common experience in individuals with kidney diseases. It can make simple activities like walking or light household chores challenging. The accumulation of waste and toxins in your body leads to uremia. These uremic toxins affect the central nervous system and metabolic processing, affecting your energy levels.
Anaemia is another reason you can feel extremely tired. It’s a condition whereby your body lacks sufficient red blood cells to carry oxygen to your organs and muscles. A healthy kidney produces erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone that signals your bone marrow to produce RBCs.
Damaged kidneys produce less EPO, reducing the production of RBCs. This lack of oxygen delivery translates to weakness.
Trouble Sleeping
Restless Legs Syndrome
Chronic kidney diseases interrupt peaceful sleep during the night. One of the prevalent conditions, Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), is an example.
The RLS is characterized by an urge to move your leg. It is irresistible and often worsens during the night, making it difficult to fall or stay asleep. This condition, in turn, increases daytime sleepiness. Fatigue intensifies it further.
Sleep Apnea
Another common condition that accompanies chronic kidney diseases is sleep apnea (SA). Sleep apnea is marked by interrupted breathing during sleep. It leads to disturbed sleep and drops in oxygen levels.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) occurs when your throat muscles relax and physically block the airway. These interruptions happen hundreds of times, preventing your body from getting sufficient oxygen.
It puts your body into a “fight” and “flight” response, triggering stress hormones. These hormones spike your heart rate and blood pressure. The sustained high blood pressure scars the blood vessels in the kidneys.
Reciprocal Relationship Between Sleep Apnea and Chronic Kidney Disease
There’s also a reciprocal relationship here. When a person with chronic kidney disease lies down, all the excess fluid now has the chance to move upwards (neck and chest area). It physically narrows the upper airway, worsening OSA.
Furthermore, the uremic toxins interfere with the brain’s ability to send proper signals. It may result in central sleep apnea (CSA), where the brain fails to send breathing signals.
Dry and Itchy Skin
The American Association of Dermatology (AAD) shares that individuals with kidney diseases often notice one or more of the following: [a] rough and scaly skin; [b] itchiness for most or all of the time; [c] raw, bleeding skin or sores due to scratching; [d] thick and leather-like skin; [e] changes to skin color (pale, gray, or yellow skin) due to toxin buildup; [f] a white moon on the top of the nail and white bands across the nails.
Frequent Urination
One of the kidneys’ key jobs is to filter waste and regulate fluid levels in the body. When they are working well, they produce urine efficiently. However, as kidney function declines, the kidneys may struggle to concentrate urine properly. This can cause you to pass larger amounts of urine and make more frequent trips to the bathroom, particularly during the night.
It usually does not show up early in the disease. However, when it does, there’ll be other signs too. For instance, swelling, itchy skin, and fatigue.
Another sign to look for is foamy urine. Urine that appears persistently foamy is a sign that protein is leaking into it. This can happen when the kidneys’ filtering system is not working properly. Changes in urine color can also be important.
Urine that appears unusually dark, brown, or tea-colored may sometimes be associated with kidney problems. Some people may also notice a stronger or unusual odour. These signs do not automatically mean you have kidney disease, as they can occur for many reasons. However, it’s worth a check.
Swelling in the body
Edema refers to swelling in your body from excess fluid buildup.
Adequate levels of protein in your body help it hold salt and water inside the blood vessels so that they don’t leak into the tissue. When albumin, a specific kind of blood protein, drops, your body starts to retain fluids. This results in swelling in the feet, ankles, and lower legs.
Swelling in the feet is a common experience for people suffering from stage 3 of chronic kidney disease. At this point, your glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is between 30 and 59. Your kidney loses much of its filtering capacity, allowing sodium to build up and settle in your body. However, the swelling can appear early if your kidneys are leaking excessive proteins even when their functioning appears normal on paper.
The doctors typically test you for urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), which measures protein leaks. They are looking for any abnormal levels of albumin in the urine. Another test they run is an eGFR blood test to assess the kidneys’ filtering capacity.
Treatment of Kidney Diseases
1. Dialysis
There are two types of dialysis: hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis (PD).
- Hemodialysis: It is a process whereby all the waste and extra fluid are removed from your body from the comfort of your home or a dialysis centre. They pump the blood through soft tubes into a dialysis machine, which filters it with the help of an artificial kidney. This artificial kidney is called a dialyzer. After the blood filters, it returns to your bloodstream. The prevalence of patients on haemodialysis in the UAE is at 370 per million population with an annual growth rate of up to 15%
- Peritoneal dialysis [PD]: In this case, the blood filters inside your body. Your peritoneum, the lining of the abdomen, acts like a natural filter. All the waste and extra fluids pass from your blood into a cleaning solution that flows into your abdomen. They make use of a soft tube called a PD catheter for this purpose. It is a home-based treatment, which can be done anywhere.
2. Kidney Transplant
A kidney transplant is another treatment option. It involves receiving a healthy kidney from someone who has died or a living donor (spouse, family, or friend). It can also come from somebody who willingly wants to donate their kidney.
Prevention of Kidney Diseases
Below are a few ways to prevent kidney diseases and stay healthy:
- Healthy food choices: Start cutting back on salt and added sugar in your food. Instead, opt for fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or fat-free dairy items. Consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium daily.
- Physical activity: Aim to get in at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days. If you’re overweight or dealing with obesity, exercise and diet are going to be very important for maintaining a healthy weight.
- Limit alcohol intake: Drinking alcohol increases your blood sugar and adds calories, leading to weight gain.
- Maintain blood glucose levels: People with diabetes are at a higher risk of developing CKD. Keep your glucose number in check and check your A1C level at least twice yearly. An ideal number should be checked 4 times a year.
FAQs
1. What is stage 3 kidney disease?
Stage 3 kidney disease means moderate kidney damage. At this stage, your eGFR is between 30 and 59. Moreover, there can be albumin in your urine. It is divided into two substages, 3a [eGFR between 45 and 59] and 3b [eGFR between 30 and 44]. Your kidneys are damaged, but they do not require dialysis or transplant yet.
2. What is stage 4 kidney disease?
Stage 4 chronic kidney disease is the last stage before kidney failure. Your eGFR falls between 15 and 29. You will experience fatigue, swelling, lower back pain, and feeling less hungry than usual.
3. Which foods should you avoid with kidney disease?
Avoid foods high in sodium, potassium, and phosphorus to prevent mineral buildup. For instance, bananas, potatoes, processed meats, and canned goods.
Conclusion
Kidney diseases often develop silently, and their symptoms can be deceptively simple to overlook or mistake for everyday health concerns. The good news is that early detection and timely meds can make a meaningful difference.
If you have risk factors for developing kidney diseases or notice unusual changes in urination, swelling, excessive fatigue, and daytime sleepiness, speak to a urologist.
The Dubai Medical University Hospital and its team can help identify potential concerns early and give you greater confidence in managing your health for the future.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for diagnosis and treatment. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 998 (UAE) or visit the nearest emergency room immediately.
