"Kidney diseases claim 100,000 Indian lives' every year"

Kochi, Mar 9 (UNI) Nearly 200,000 Indians suffer from terminal kidney failure and about half of them succumb to the disease every year, a senior nephrologist said today.

In a statement issued here on the occasion of the 'World Kidney Day', Dr Georgy Nainan, senior consultant nephrologist, Lakeshore Hospital and PVS Memorial Hospital, said that kidney diseases rank third amongst life style-related diseases after cancer and heart ailments.

While 100,000 kidney transplants are required in India every year, only 2.5 per cent of the patients receive them due to socio-economic reasons. Only 22.5 per cent of the patients requiring dialyses receive treatment, he added.

''Kidney disease is due to assume epidemic proportions in India.

Over the next 20 years, it is expected that in India alone, 25 million people will develop kidney failure,'' he added.

Observing that Indians were prone to diabetes, Dr Nainan said that this was the cause of renal failure in most cases.

Unfortunately, the public healthcare system was starved of resources and doctors could scarcely take care of the patients, he said.

Stating that most chronic kidney disorders can be prevented, he said there was an urgent need for public health programmes for early detection of diabetes and kidney disease. Prevention and awareness programmes were particularly cost effective in large populations and remote regional areas.

''This simple, cost effective, proven tool identifies and educates those with early kidney disease and health professionals are able to provide corrective treatment before the risk factors develop into chronic kidney disease. The relentless progression to kidney failure can be slowed or reduced by between 20 to 50 per cent in most cases,'' he added.

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