SEEK To Avert Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic Kidney Disease or (CKD) seems to be household disease worldwide prompting the WHO to dedicate March 9th as world kidney day. India's record of 20milion diabetics has 'ensured' a Numero uno position for diabetes and worse, with one in every three diabetics getting affected by the disease. WHO has also sounded a warning that these figures will shoot up to 57 million by 2025.

Dr Ajay K Singh, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and the clinical chief of renal division at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston while on a visit to Kochi, said "And those who will be affected by chronic kidney disease because of diabetes will constitute approximately 20 million people by that time."

According to Dr Ajay, combating Kidney disease in India has to be a two pronged approach as it is both a medical and an economic problem. The diagnostic test carried out to detect kidney problems in the initial stages is not really designed to detect the onset of the disease. Treatment of kidney disease demands early detection to avoid it precipitating into a chronic ailment.

For many patients, kidney problems pose a huge financial drain as dialysis in India costs anything between Rs 750 to Rs 2000. 90% succumb to the disease because it is unaffordable to avail treatment.

Dr Ajay Singh said that apart from controlling diabetes, it is equally important to start treatment of kidney ailments in its early stages. It is also imperative that blood pressure is controlled. He added "As part of the World Kidney Day, SEEK Project (Screening and early evaluation of kidney disease project) is holding programmes and screenings all over the country to educate the public."

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