More youngsters face risk of kidney ailments

CHENNAI: The kidneys of nearly five percent of the people under the age of 20 are not functioning normally, a study by MIOT hospitals shows. The youngsters have albumin in the urine, which indicates that they could develop a serious kidney disease later in their lives. Doctors say that more youngsters today are at a risk of kidney malfunction due to lifestyle changes, which includes smoking, consumption of junk food, and less physical activity from desk-bound jobs.On the eve of World Kidney Day, doctors are stressing on early detection of kidney malfunction as the only way to reduce serious complications and chronic kidney disease.
For the pilot study, the institute of nephrology at MIOT hospitals used a home detection kit that is dipped in the urine to show presence of protein in the sample. During the study, 1,000 people were given the kits. A total of 265 returned them with feedback. Of this, 5% of the young population had urinary protein.
Doctors say that the main problem with kidney disease is lack of early detection. If detected early, patients can avoid reaching the stage of dialysis, which indicates irreversible and serious kidney damage. "Simple health screening tests comprising of urine tests, blood tests and ultrasounds are important. Early diagnosis and treatment for kidney disease can significantly delay and even prevent kidney failure and need for dialysis," said Dr KC Prakash, head of Department of Nephrology, Apollo Hospital.
Dr Rajan Ravichandran, director of the MIOT Institute of Nephrology, said the home detection kits would help in early detection, and added that they were targeting young people in colleges and IT firms to use this kit.
As per the National Kidney Foundation of India, 100 in 1 million suffer from kidney disease and around 90,000 people require transplants in a year. Only 22.5% of the patients requiring dialysis receive treatment, and 2.5% of the people actually receive transplants. "There are less than a thousand nephrologists in this country and, unless detected early, treating kidney disease could be a costly affair," Dr Ravichandran said. Estimates show that patients spend between Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000 for treatment.
Giving tips to protect kidneys, Ravichandran said that the theme of this year's kidney day is: "Protect your kidney; save you heart." He said that protecting the kidney would in turn shield the patient from heart diseases.
Dr Rajan also said that almost 90% of those who gave feedback in the survey were in the age group of 20-60, indicating that young people were more open and eager to respond to the test than older people. "Elderly people were more reluctant to respond. They either feared the test or had technical difficulties," he said. The hospital also gave away 1,000 more kits to young people to spread awareness.