Obesity in youngsters in mid-twenties leads to co-morbidities and consequently to kidney transplants
Patiala: 11th August, 2017: In a shocking revelation, studies showed that the age for kidney transplants is shifting to a much younger age group. With an increased percentage of obese population in Punjab, Dr. B.P. Singh, Consultant, Urologist, Columbia Asia Hospital, Patialareveals that co-morbidities are rising and this condition is leading to several medical problems, one of them being kidney failures in younger and younger people.
Supriya, 25 years old, is a young woman who was looking forward to a beautiful innings with her spouse. Her hopes were interrupted when she started having symptoms which no one could explain. She was losing appetite consistently day after day, she was losing sleep and having disturbed nights, and she was detecting a swelling in her feet and hands which had no precedence. When Supriya came to Columbia Asia Hospital she knew what she was seeking from the doctor. She was aware that she would be advised a kidney transplant by the Urologist. Her personal life was full of strife as she had just got married and she was facing a critical medical condition in her life. And,she was obese with her weight being close to 90 kilograms. The team that took up her case to treat her condition was led byDr. B.P. Singh, Consultant, Urologist, Columbia Asia Hospital, Patiala.
Dr. B.P. Singh says, “It is no longer shocking for surgeons conducting kidney transplants to have such young patients coming for surgical interventions due to kidney failure. The increase in the numbers in younger age groups for transplants is shocking for the masses. We are seeing increase in kidney failures younger and younger people day after day. There are lifestyle disorders that have led to this condition. But there are other factors also. The age for kidney failures has been coming down in the last decade. India is seeing a spike in patients suffering from chronic kidney diseases. This patient is one such case from the younger age group which is obese and does not pay heed to medical risks.”
Doctors observe that around 50 per cent of kidney failure cases are those of diabetic patients. And in 30-40 per cent kidney ailment cases, the patients are obese and overweight if not diabetic.
The early stages of kidney disease may not show symptoms. The first signs may include frequentheadaches or feeling tired or itchy all over your body. Those symptoms aren’t unique to kidney failure and may or may not indicate kidney failure. What should cause alarm in a patient is needing to urinate more or less often; Appetite loss or nausea and vomiting; Swollen or numb feet and hands; Feeling drowsy or having trouble concentrating; Darkening skin and Muscle cramps.
In a worrying fallout of the rising diabetes and hypertension cases in urban India, a study across 12 cities found 17 out of every 100 people suffering from kidney disease. Of this, 6% had stage III kidney disease which necessitates medical attention and, in some cases, costly treatment like dialysis or transplant.
“Every year hundreds of patients suffering kidney, liver, heart and other organ ailments die in the country. The demand and supply gap continues to plague the nation, adding to the burden it poses on national health. Over 2.5 lakh deaths in India are attributed to organ failure annually, while cadaver donations are still very few in comparison. India’s organ donation rate in 2016 stood at an abysmal 0.8 persons per million populations.” added Dr. B.P. Singh, Consultant, Urologist, Columbia Asia Hospital, Patiala.
