Slowing the tide of kidney disease

The latest data on the burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in South Asia, indicating that 16% of the population is affected, should be seen as a worrying public health warning.

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India, the most populous country now with over 1.4 billion people, is caught up in several crises that have major health implications, one of which is the accelerating growth of CKD. Several social and environmental factors have coalesced, notably high prevalence of diabetes and hypertension, hot climate, pollution, and toxic chemicals, leading to rising rates of kidney damage. Lifestyle factors are at play too, such as high sugar and salt content in packaged food, lack of physical activity, and disturbed sleep patterns due to work pressure, noise, and always-on entertainment. In a minority of cases, genetic factors contribute to CKD. The medical community is naturally concerned about this snowballing crisis, as progression to kidney failure happens without warning; there is no indication of the developing disease until the kidneys have near