Kidney patients on rise

Reza Mahmud :
Kidney diseases are spreading alarmingly across the country making public health experts worried.
Official data showed that about two crore people are suffering from different types of kidney diseases.
It also said that about two lakh new kidney patients are added every year.
The experts said that chronic kidney disease is a major public health issue, with a leading cause of death and disability in the country.
Several recent studies reports showed that overall prevalence of chronic kidney disease in Bangladeshi people of 22.48 per cent, which was higher than the global prevalence.
Above all, several studies revealed a higher rate of prevalence of these diseases in Bangladeshi people.
So, it needs more attention to concern public health policymakers and the government to control and reduce the high-risk of disability due to kidney disease.
The public health experts said that increasing number of kidney patients make huge burden of medical treatment costs of the people as the costs of this diseases are high in the country.
When contacted, Professor Emeritus Dr. ABM Abdullah, the personal physicians of the Prime Minister, told The New Nation, “Unhealthy lifestyle and intakes of unhealthy foods are main causes of kidney diseases among our people.”
He said that uncontrolled diabetes and blood pressures are causing kidney diseases.
The professor requested all diabetes and hypertension patients to be aware and keep their disease controlled so that the kidney will not be harmed.
 Hospitals are facing huge pressures of rendering medical treatment of huge number of patients.
On spot visit it has been found that huge numbers of kidney patients are on struggle to consult the physicians at the Center for Kidney Diseases and Urology Hospital in Shyamoli in the capital.
Many of the patients return every day failing of getting admission or visiting doctors there.
“We found in a recent study that more than two crore people were suffering from kidney diseases in the country,” said Professor Md Mizanur Rahman, Director of National Institute of Kidney Diseases and Urology.
 He said that about two lakh people develop kidney diseases in the country every year.
The Professor said that the mostly hazardous matter is that every year the diseases damage the kidneys of around 40,000 patients. Families of the patients are struggling with limitless burden of the medical costs of kidney diseases.
Sources said kidney dialysis needs Tk 1600 in government hospitals in per session. But it is hard to get a chance of dialysis in government hospitals.
Meanwhile, the cost is Tk more than 4000 in private hospitals in every session.
“My brother needs kidney dialysis twice in every week, it is hard for my family to bear such high cost. But we are bound to do it,” said a HSC level student and brother of a kidney patient in Rampura area.
Public health experts said that increasing habits of taking packets and processed foods is a major reason of affecting kidneys.
A study conducted by National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh (NHFB) and supported by the USA-based organisation Resolve to Save Lives found that 61 per cent of processed foods are using unhealthy amount of salt.
The study results were revealed on September 28, in 2022.
Meanwhile, a large number of people, say about 21 per cent, are suffering from hypertension.
Besides, about five percent of those patients are unaware that they are suffering from the hazardous. As a result the uncontrolled blood pressures of those patients are creating kidney diseases among them.
In addition, unhealthy lifestyle like restless busyness, less sleeping and not taking daily meals in time also creating kidney diseases among large number of the people, sources said.