Ten per cent of Indian population is affected by Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and it may be 5th leading cause of death in India soon. Two lakh people die annually in the country due to a lack of, awareness of kidney disease.
Kidney disease is causing a silent epidemic in the country with India having the highest number of renal patients in the world.
Around two lakh people in the country are afflicted by CKD and half of the cases develop serious complications while 25,000 people require frequent dialysis or transplantation annually .
DIABETES AND KIDNEY
Diabetes, along with hypertension, account for 70 per cent of CKD cases. While high blood sugar levels damage the blood vessels in kidneys, a similar condition is caused by uncontrolled high blood pressure. Besides, other factors like obesity also make a person susceptible to CKD.
Obesity and being overweight are major risk factors for chronic kidney disease and is related to the disease progress. Moreover, obesity is a major risk factor for diabetes and hypertension as well, which together account for about 70% of all cases of end-stage renal disease.
As the kidneys weaken, excretory products accumulate in the body and start affecting various organs. High blood pressure and high sugar levels are the most common causes contributing to kidney damage. Other reasons for kidney damage are genetic, autoimmune, urine outflows problems like prostate, and kidney stones, herbal products, and medicines like painkillers.
Kidney disease is usually undetected in the first and second stages, as it is asymptomatic. Regular screening of individuals predisposed to Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) can recognise the early stages. In later stages, patients might develop symptoms in the form of low energy levels, low appetite, nausea, vomiting, and feeling short of breath while doing regular work. And in pre-dialysis stages extreme shortness of breath, seizures, altered sensorium, and tremors.
Management: Keep diabetes, hypertension and obesity under control. Regular check-ups for these diseases and the use of medications can help prevent their side effects from affecting the kidneys.
(Dr Naresh Purohit is Advisor- Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP). The views and opinion expressed in this article are those of the author)
