Watch out! Kidneys are expensive to retain

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Sabeen Jamil
Using medication without a doctor’s advice, smoking and or munching on salty, high-cholesterol food may cost people their kidneys as Chronic Kidney Disease(CKD) caused primarily because of these reasons is not only expensive to cure, it is un-recognised until it damages 75 per cent of a person’s kidneys.

In Pakistan where at least one out of five adults develops CKD, options to treat the disease include dialysis and kidney transplantation only wherein these options are not only limited but are very expensive as well. Given that therefore, people shall take on preventive measures to protect themselves.

This was stressed by doctors speaking at the Public Awareness Programme arranged by the Aga Khan University Hospital on World Kidney Day on Thursday.

While emphasising on the preventive measure, Dr Tazeen Jafar, Head, Section of Nephrology, AKUH said that CKD didn’t only include stones in the kidney or a kidney failure but the reduced filtration and increased protein excretion as well. However, CKD had no symptoms until it was developed fully and therefore it was termed as a “silent killer”. To avoid the disease therefore, she suggested a healthy life style, exercise, cutting on cigarettes as well as salt and avoiding self-medication for everyone in general and for patients of diabetes and hypertension in particular for they are at a higher risk of catching CKD.

Also, she said, people who had crossed the age of 40 or were obese or had a family history of CKD shall “get their kidney screening as well as blood and urine tested to detect the presence of disease as they may be more prone to developing the disease.”

Besides that, patients having found with CKD must maintain their Blood Pressure to 130/80 and control their blood glucose and take medicines regularly as per is advised by the doctor, advised Dr Waqar Kashif, Consultant Nephrologist. Dr Absar Ali, Consultant Nephrologist also spoke on the occasion.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=166862