Answer:

The number of people with chronic kidney disease is increasing, estimated to be about 12.8% of the adult population in Vietnam, equivalent to more than 8.7 million people. Therefore, preventing risk factors is crucial.

Smoking causes many dangerous diseases, including cancer. It is one of the risk factors for kidney failure in adults, especially those with high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 different substances that negatively impact the health of both smokers and those around them (passive smoking).

Cadmium in cigarettes has the potential to damage the kidneys. Smoking also increases platelet activation, disrupts the blood clotting system, and damages the endothelium in general. These mechanisms can affect the filtering function of the glomeruli by damaging the endothelial cells of blood vessels in the kidneys. This damage does not occur immediately but accumulates over time, causing structural changes in the kidneys, leading to kidney disease.

Nicotine in cigarettes also increases the proliferation of mesangial cells located in the glomeruli, which play an important role in regulating kidney function. Excessive proliferation of these cells can lead to kidney problems and decreased kidney function. In people with diabetes, smoking causes abnormalities in kidney function that may be related to insulin resistance.

Experts recommend quitting smoking early as an effective measure to prevent kidney disease in adults, contributing to reducing the number of new cases of chronic kidney disease annually in this population group. Your husband, who smokes and has symptoms of frequent urination, fatigue, and loss of appetite, should quit smoking and see a doctor for a check-up and diagnosis.

Dr. Ho Tan Thong

Nephrology - Dialysis Unit

Tam Anh General Clinic, District 7