Unhealthy lifestyles give rise to kidney problems

by Shanika Sriyananda

Unhealthy lifestyle patterns have resulted in the number of renal disease cases increasing and one in ten Lankan adults run the risk of getting some chronic kidney disease while one in 35 suffer from a serious kidney disease.

Over 2,500 new cases of kidney diseases are reported annually. One third of the women and one in ten men suffer bladder infection and one in 15 women have kidney stones.

The kidneys of over 600 in every one million people, function less than 15 per cent. The annual cost for dialysis treatment per patient, per two weeks is over Rs. 350,000. The patient is also given drugs worth Rs. 30,000 monthly. President of the Sri Lanka Association of Nephrology and Transplantation Consultant Nephologist Dr. Chula Herath said that the only way to reduce the number of cases is through proper awareness or else the disease would be a scourge as the country's elderly population is on the increase.

He said that kidney disease in developing countries were increasing and of the number of diabetic patient is (14 per cent of the country's total population), 20 to 30 per cent are prone to kidney diseases.

"Those over 60 years need to be concerned about kidney problems as diabetes and hypertension, the two major causes for kidney failure are common among the elderly population", he said. Over 40 percent of kidney patients who need dialysis treatment have a history of diabetes. Over 200 kidney transplants were performed last year, according to reports.

The Secretary of the Association, Consultant Nephrologist Dr. A. L. M. Nazar said that there are only six consultants in the country to treat over 12,000 kidney patients with 125 dialysis machines.

He said that during the past six to seven years of the seven doctors who were sent on training abroad only two consultant Nephrologists returned to the country.

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