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Kidney diseases out to become a big killer

Naimul Haq
Kidney diseases among urban, rural and disadvantaged people arc increasing at an alarming rate, posing threats to reach epidemic proportion in a couple of decades, experts toldTlie Daily Star.
The incidence of kidney diseases in various surveys shows that 20 years ago the rate was 2.5 percent, which has increased at least five fold to as high as 14 percent now in some areas.
The country’s top kidney specialists said considering the rising trend, kidney diseases in Bangladesh are expected to reach epidemic proportion in about 15-20 years.
Prof Harun-ur-Rashid, head of nephrology department at
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital (BSMMUH), said, "Kidney diseases could become epidemic by 2025 in Bangladesh and wc have already found evidence of high incidence of tlie disease in general population in some areas which is quite alarming.”
What is more alarming is that almost 70 percent patients suffering from kidney ailment do not feel sick or have any knowledge of the diseases and less titan one third of the rest, who know about their illness, arc actually capable of getting the treatment.
In the case of kidney failures about 60 percent of those who have access to hospital treatment ultimately give up due to the pains, complexity and, of course, the high
cost of treatment.
In fact, many people in the rural population do not have easy access to kidney specialists as most of the experts arc confined to the metropolitan cities. This crisis of experts and alternative treatment facilities is another reason why tlie silent killer is finding such a huge number of victims. It is estimated that there is one kidney specialist for every 30 lakh people.
Prof Harun, also president of the Kidney Foundation, said, ”Wc carried out a study about two years ago among 25,000 adult people in village Chakulia in Savar. We found about 16 percent of the population were suffering from various kidney disease related ailments like hypertension, diabetes and nephritis.
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Incidence of diabetes among village people was found to have reached about 5 percent against 2.5 percent ten years ago."
In another survey carried out by the same institution about two years ago in a sium area in the city's Mirpur, the incidence of diabetes, hypertension and nephritis among adults were also found at similar rate.
Prof Nurul Islam, head of the Department of Kidney Diseases at Ibrahim Memorial Hospital popularly known as B1RDEM, said, "Kidney diseases diagnosed now are quite high compared to about ten years ago. By the next two decades or so, kidney diseases will appear in epidemic proportion."
Studies show that about one in every four diabetic patients is likely to develop organ failure, especially of kidney, Prof Islam said. "So it is quite essential to emphasise prevention of the disease now if we want to avert an epidemic," he added.
The private clinics and hospitals treating kidney patients in the city report having enormous pressure on booking of beds for dialysis, a technique to excrete toxic liquid from the blood or, in other words, to produce urine artificially.
wtysh. remain busy round the clock. The
newly diagnosed patients who seek treatment are often refused dialysis as we cannot afford to turn away our regular patients who come at least thrice a week for 'dialysis,' said a doctor at the Kidney Hospital.
Jahanara Clinic Private Ltd in Uttara has 15 dialysis beds which remain occupied round the clock. "The demand for dialysis has increased at least twenty times and the pressure of new patients keep increasing every day," said a doctor of the clinic.
Dr Mohammad Hossain, managing director of Dhaka Renal Hospital, the largest private sector renal centre, said, "The number of kidney patients has increased many times largely due to lack of awareness."