Besides diabetes, blood pressure and heart diseases, ailments related to kidneys are on the rise even in Tier II cities (with a population of one million to five millions) like Raipur. A study across 12 Tier II cities conducted in 2013 concluded that 17 out of every 100 people are suffering from kidney diseases.
On the World Kidney Day on Thursday, nephrologists in the city talked about how one can ensure long and healthy kidney life. They say, your kidneys age with you. Regular kidney check-ups are advised to people above 50 years of age as the risk of Chronic Renal Disease (CRD) increases with ageing of the body.
According to the doctors, kidney complications just like most of the diseases could be avoided by taking proper care of the body. Regular exercise, healthy diet and keeping away from smoking and excessive drinking take care of a large share of the problem.
However, kidney specialists also emphasise on learning about the disease. "If a person has knowledge about the disease and its symptoms, it will be easier to detect any malfunctioning early. Most of the times casualty occurs because the patients do not realise they are suffering from diseases for a very long time," said nephrologist Dr Praneta Kathiyar.
Awareness about the disease and knowing about one's family history is also important to spot any kidney-related malfunctioning at its early stage. "Strict monitoring of consumption of pain killers is very important to minimise kidney risks. Dependence on pain killers or their use for an extended period could cause irreparable damage to the kidneys," said nephrologist Dr Kartikeya Rao.
Experts also advise the youth to scrutinize their daily routine. In recent studies, the nocturnal lifestyle of the youth has shown harmful effects on kidneys. Proper sleep at night time for at least six hours is advised to the youngsters.
The World Kidney Day is observed on the second Thursday of March every year.