‘Uncontrolled weight, obesity can lead to renal failure’ 

Mumbai: Uncontrolled weight gain and obesity leads to renal failure in 70 per cent of the cases, doctors said.

India has become the third most obese country in the world and this has led to a spike in kidney-related problems. Renal problems have doubled in the last seven to eight years, they said.

As per World Health Organisation (WHO), in 2014, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, were overweight, of these over 600 million were obese. The current lifestyle where gadgets are given more importance than exercise or other outdoor activities leads to numerous health problems and kidney-related diseases are one among them.

"Obesity puts one at risk of co-morbidity, can cause hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, cardiovascular diseases, all of these also indirectly causes damage to the kidney," said Gaurav Nag, an Nephrologist with SRV Hospital here. This is affecting both males and females equally, Nag said.

According to the doctors, if not detected and provided timely treatment, it could lead to complete failure of the kidneys. "This happens over a period of time so it is imperative to get checked. Especially when the number of obese youngsters are rapidly rising," said Ramesh Jain, Senior Consultant and Head at Centre for Kidney Transplant and Renal Sciences at Delhi-based Saroj Super Speciality Hospital.

A simple urine test would help detect the presence of protein, which is a red flag depicting the signs of wear and tear in the kidneys and needs to be taken care of immediately, Jain said. Doctors said kidney-related problems are spread over a wide spectrum, from presence of protein or creatine in the urine to the need for a dialysis and increased problems that can lead to complete kidney failure. Creatine (a nitrogenous organic acid that occurs naturally in vertebrates)supplements are known to produce toxicity to kidneys if consumed for more than the prescribed dose.

"Although it has positive effects like building endurance in the body, if taken in excess or for prolonged period then it will have ill effects," said Vishwanath Billa another Nephrologist at Zen hospital. He said that based on the increasing weight of the body, the stress on the kidney also rises. "This can lead to wear and tear and with time it stops functioning. Obesity not only directly affects the kidneys but also has parallel pathways caused by various co-morbidities that leads to complete kidney failure," said Pradeep Gadge, a city based Diabeteologist.

Doctors said that kidney diseases mostly affect the youngsters, as there is a link between the use of tobacco and kidney diseases. "Smoking can aggravate kidney related diseases. Anemia (a condition in which the blood doesn't have enough healthy red blood cells) can also increase kidney related problems," said Gadge.

--IANS