July 10,2024
Vijayawada: In a major cause for concern, one in four children and adolescents studied in Telugu states have been found to be suffering from impaired kidney functioning (IKF). This is the highest percentage of IKF cases in India.
An international research study by a team of health experts from India, the UK and Australia revealed that 29.6 per cent of children and adolescents studied in Andhra Pradesh had IKF, while 19.2 per cent suffer from the renal problem in Telangana. The result of the first of its kind study was published in the recent issue of the health journal, BMC Paediatrics. The researchers were drawn from International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, AIIMS, Bathinda, AIIMS, Jammu, Imperial College London, UK, and University of New South Wales, Sydney.
Impaired kidney functioning is an early stage of renal problem indicating that all is not well with the working of the kidneys. Neglect of IKF could lead to major health complications like kidney failure and even death.
Telugu states have a history of renal ailments with certain pockets showing a very high incidence of chronic kidney disease . In fact, Uddanam in AP is one of the handful of places in the world where the cause of the high incidence of kidney disease is not known. Even in other places in Telangana and AP the exact reason or aetiology for the kidney disease is not known though health experts have propounded several reasons including polluted water. Amidst this scenario, the BMC Paediatric study has come as a shocker.
“The findings indicate the need for follow-up studies utilising internationally accepted methodologies and in accordance with the classification system to assess the prevalence of CKD accurately,” the study suggested. The researchers based their study on the data collected as part of the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) 2016-18 across the country.
They said data from the study provided new information to help develop the national strategy for CKD among children and adolescents.
According to the CNNS data adopted by the researchers, serum creatinine (an indicator of kidney functioning) was tested once in 24,690 children and adolescents aged 5-19 years. “Our study presents the first national estimates of IKF in the paediatric population and includes several novel findings. First, there is a high prevalence of IKF among children and adolescents,” the researchers said, adding that there needs to be more such studies at frequent intervals to assess the problem. The estimated IKF prevalence amounts to around 49,000 (cases per million population).
Source: Healthworld