CKD Claims 2.4 Mln Lives Per Year Worldwide: Expert

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Feb, 2023 ) :Unaware of being a victim of the chronic kidney disease (CKD) for the last three years, Alam Khan (45) was rushed to the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) by his brothers after complaining about severe pain in his right kidney.

The hospital's staffers immediately put him on the stretcher and rushed to CT scan and ultrasound laboratories for radiology tests on the advise of doctors.

"My brother was complaining about pain in right kidney for the last three years that was turned severe the other day, forcing us to immediately shift him to LRH," said Sajid Khan, the elder brother of the patient while talking to APP on Wednesday.

Later, the doctors diagnosed him with CKD due to blockage of his ureters by the renal stones and advised for surgery. The stones have badly damaged the patient's urinary bladder as well as kidneys.

Prof. Dr Sirzamin Khan, head of the Nephrology ward, Govt Hospital Pabbi Nowshera said that CKD mostly developed by renal stones could prove fatal if not treated timely.

He said that 10 percent of the world population have some form of kidney damage where about 850 million people were estimated to have kidney diseases, including CKD and AKI (acute kidney disease) due to unhealthy lifestyle.

"CKD kills about 2.4 million people per year in world, and is the sixth fastest growing cause of death in globe," he said.

While terming AKI an important driver of CKD, he said that AKI affected over 13 million people worldwide, and about 85 percent of the cases were found in low and middle-income countries, adding around 1.7 people were estimated to die annually because of AKI.

Dr Sirzamin said CKD, which was predicted to increase by 17 percent over the next decade, has been recognised by WHO and other organisations as a global public health issue.

He said Pakistan was ranked eight in the list of countries with a high rate of kidney diseases mostly of CKD, adding about 17 million people were suffering from such ailments in the country.

"The major causes of CKD and AKI was late diagnosis, kidney stones, diabetes and high blood pressure' he said, adding consuming junk and low quality food, self-medication or excessive use of medicine, low water intake and obesity were other common reasons of such diseases." Dr Sirzamin said many patients did not consider CKD, AKI and kidney stones as serious ailment and mostly used homeopathic and self-medication for its treatment, thus damaging their vital life-saving organ that often leads to kidney's failure and ultimately death.

"The treatment of kidney failure is very expensive and such patient would either go for haemodialysis or kidney transplant while dialysis was short time cure." Dr Riaz Hussain, Institute of Kidney Diseases (IKD) Hayatabad Peshawar's Deputy Director said Nawaz Sharif Kidney Hospital (NSKH) Swat had immensely helped reduced patients' load at IKD, Lady Reading Hospital and Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar.

Before NSKH, he said that patients of Malakand division were waiting for months for dialysis and kidney transplant and often go to Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi for the services by spending huge amounts.

Dr Mumtaz Khan, Medical Superintendent, NSKH said Nawaz Sharif Kidney Hospital Swat was a great blessing for poor parents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa especially for Malakand division.

Except kidney transplantation, he said NSKH's was equipped with all medical, diagnostic and surgical services for the patients around the clock.

Besides free dialysis, nephrology and urology's operations, he said all latest treatment procedures, including Percutaneous Lithotripsy (PCNL) was being used to remove large kidney's stones at NSKH, adding most of the patients were coming from merged tribal districts of Bajaur and Mohmand, Malakand division including Swat, Shangla, Buner, Kohistan, Batagram, Dir, Chitral besides Batagram, Hazara and Mardan.

He said an average 500 patients per day were being examined at OPD, which "means that 15,000 patients per month and around 180,000 per year. The number of dialysis machines has been enhanced from 14 to 30 after an increase of patients in recent years." Dr Mumtaz said prior to NSKH, the patients of eight districts of Malakand division were visiting Peshawar and Islamabad for kidneys treatment and dialysis by spending their hard-earned money on CT scans, MRIs, X-Rays, operations, hotel stay and transport fare etc." The experts underlined the need for mass awareness regarding adoption of healthy lifestyles, avoiding junk foods and controlling blood pressure inevitable for eradication of kidney diseases.

They advised for aggressive screening, controlling of hypertension and diabetes besides adoption of healthy lifestyles such as drinking clean water, exercise, healthy diet, avoiding smoking and media awareness in masses imperative to become safe from CKD and AKI.