Kidney may be in sleep mode or dead – Dr. Dilip Bhalla

Q. – Dr. Dillip Bhalla, Today is World Kidney Day, What should a common man understand by this?

A. - The average life span of people in India is now increasing. Earlier it used to be 50 years, now it is 70 years. Earlier people used to die early with acute diseases like Brain haemorrhage, cancer and so on. But now as the average longevity is at a rise, they have started getting different diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, blood pressure and the like after roughly 25 years of age.

This phenomenon is global. Therefore 10 years ago, it was decided by the International Nephrology Society that it was high time people knew that some chronic diseases are at loose, and kidney disease is one of them. So, the society thought, a day be marked as World Kidney Day to bring an awareness about various kidney related diseases across the globe.

Q. - Do nephrologists treat it like a deadly disease? Or the one which can be treated on time?

A. – No, it is not deadly disease such as cancer that kills. If diagnosed on time, detected early, the patient can lead a healthy life with it.

But the important parameters are, if you are predisposed to it, meaning, you have a history of the disease in the family tree, then you are also like to have it

Q. – Does it mean it is also a genetic disease?

A. – Yes, in some minor cases.

The parameters therefore, to check the disease is, you must get your checked up regularly for sugar, blood pressure estimation, follow a healthy diet and life-style, drink lots of water so that the value estimation of the check remains normal. This should be done every five years.

But the problem, very prevalent in India is, people do self-medication, by, say for instance, they take some desi Ayurveda medicine like some baba ji ki booty (any local herb by a non-practitioner) for a long time, thinking they would be cured. It often worsens their condition.

If they do not do this mistake of first taking an allopathy then go to any baba ji, then come back to allopathy, they can lead a healthy life.

Q. – What are the important signs of person’s probability of a kidney patient

A. - Diabetes and Blood pressure are the two most important factors that cause Kidney problems. If a person is getting up regularly at night, for example, for urination, and he is not able to pass it, properly, it means there is some concentration there and it must be treated.

Q. – What should a person do to know that he is suffering from a kidney disease?

A. – They should see whether they feel tired after walking for five minutes while one was habitual of a five-mile walk, for instance, or there is a swelling in the feet after walking, if one witness lather in their urine, or irritation while urinating, these are all early sings of kidney problems. One should never ignore it and get themselves checked immediately, so that it can be tackled on time.

Q. – What are the tests to be done to verify kidney issues?

A. – Simple urine test. If there are traces of protein in that sample, we treat it. And the next test for the same is KFT done via the blood test. If it shows an elevation, then we treat accordingly. Ou focus remains on how in a matter of less time, a patient is being made to live a healthy life despite this disease.

Q. – If a person already on the dialysis, will he have to live with regular dialysis unless he gets a Kidney transplant done?

A. – There are two stages to it. One stage is, as we nephrologists call it the kidney has slept, another condition is that kidney is dead.

In stage one, if a patient has suddenly damaged his kidney due to any wear and tear by an accident or due to side effects, say from dengue or malaria, or antibiotic, also please note that during these Covid times, people have been affected with kidney issues, we do a test and find out the condition. If that kidney is in a sleep mode, we do give some support to the kidney by giving the patients some dialysis to bring him to a near-normal situation and to ‘awaken’ the sleeping kidney. A dialysis is a simple process of cleaning the blood. After some time, the patient is taken off the dialysis.

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But, if a patient has been undergoing a long standing blood pressure and diabetes and due to which the kidney has damaged fully, then we denote it as a dead kidney. Then, the patient has to be on dialysis for the rest of his life. And if he is fit enough, a kidney transplant can also be suggested by a nephrologist, after checking his condition.