Healthy lifestyle keeps Kidney Diseases at bay

LUDHIANA: Do you have high blood pressure? Are you suffering from diabetes? Are you overweight? And, do you smoke? Then you might be at a higher
risk of falling prey to chronic kidney diseases (CKD).

If this sounds unbelievable then read the following facts, as in India about five-lakh patients come to the hospital during their final stage of CKD. And, out of these, only 50,000 take dialysis and about 2,000 transplants are done.

About three to four lakh people in India are detected with kidney ailment every year and about 50 to 60% of the kidney failures are due to diabetes and high blood pressure, said Dr Kim Mammen, professor and head of urology, CMCH, also secretary Urology Society of India. About 42% people can be saved from chronic kidney diseases just by modifying their lifestyle said Dr Jaswinder Singh Sandhu, professor of nephrology at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital. Dr Sandhu said according to the data collected by Indian Society of Nephrology from 154 centres, 32% people suffering from chronic kidney diseases are diabetics.

Dr Kim said main cause of the disease is lifestyle modification. And, as Ludhiana has the highest number of diabetes cases, which is the main factor behind chronic kidney diseases, more people here are susceptible to the disease, he added. On being asked what was the better option for such patients when it comes to renal transplant therapy, whether they should go for dialysis or transplantation, Dr Kim said it varies from patient to patient as in transplantation the survival rate is 95%, whereas dialysis is suitable in cases where already 85% kidney has stopped functioning.

One third of the patients who come to the hospital with chronic kidney disease are hypertensive and diabetic, as the main problem here in the state is lifestyle modification and adoption of junk food culture, said Dr JS Sandhu, professor of Nephrology at Dayanand Medical College and hospital.

Dr Sandhu said emphasis should be laid more on creating awareness among masses and if someone has developed diabetes or hypertension then it is mandatory for him/her to get examined for kidney problem.