World Kidney Day is observed annually on March 9. The theme this year is ‘Kidney Disease & Obesity.’
The global health awareness campaign focuses on the importance of kidneys and reducing the impact of kidney diseases and their associated health problems.
According to studies, 35-40% of Iranians are overweight or obese making them more prone to health complications like diabetes and high blood pressure. This in turn raises the risk of kidney diseases and kidney failure by imposing stress on the two bean-shaped organs, said Dr. Masih Naqibi, nephrologist and a board member of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences.
About 50-60% of all severe kidney diseases like kidney failure occur due to high blood pressure and diabetes. “People who are overweight and obese and have Body Mass Index (BMI) higher than 25, are two times more likely to develop kidney diseases. Also, there is an almost two-fold difference in kidney cancer rates between people with a BMI of 27 and people with a BMI of 20 (healthy weight),” he added.
Consumption of high calorie foods, greasy and fast foods can make people obese triggering health complications that are harmful to the kidneys, the Persian language weekly ‘Salamat’ reported.
Salt consumption imposes “immediate stress” by increasing blood pressure and also causes kidney stones. Eating salt raises the amount of sodium in the bloodstream and wrecks the delicate balance, reducing the ability of the kidneys to filter water. The result is higher blood pressure due to the extra fluid and extra strain on the delicate blood vessels leading to the kidneys. Carbonated drinks also contain bicarbonate of soda which is harmful.
To have healthy kidneys, people must do aerobic exercises at least five times a week for at least 30 minutes per day. They also should remember to drink 8-10 glasses of water each day. Calcium in food doesn’t have an effect on risk of developing kidney stones and other kidney diseases.
Kidney Stone Disease High in Iran
According to figures, Iran has the highest number of patients suffering from kidney stone disease in the Middle East region. Almost 19-20% of Iranian men and 9-10% of women develop the health problem once in some point of their lives (mostly between the ages 40-50), said Dr. Omid Ahangar, internal medicine specialist.
The disease is more prevalent in the southern part of the country like Hormozgan Province, where people are more likely to get dehydrated quickly due to the humid and hot weather conditions.
High consumption of carbonated drinks and salty foods, dehydration, obesity, digestive diseases, urinary tract infections and other medical conditions are the main risk factors of the disease.
Kidney stones are small, hard mineral deposits and acid salts that form inside the kidneys. They can’t be treated with drinking water and medical therapy — either because they’re too large to pass on their own or because they cause bleeding, kidney damage or urinary tract infections — and may require more extensive treatments such as using sound waves to break up the stones, or surgery to remove very large stones.
It costs $1,850 (70 million rials) in private hospitals and $150 (5 million rials) in state-run hospitals for kidney stones surgery (percutaneous nephrolithotomy).
The first kidney stone surgery in Hormozgan Province was performed in Khalij-e Fars hospital in Bandar Abbas city in January. “People with the problem now don’t have to go to other provincial cities for surgical treatment of kidney stones,” said Dr. Babak Ahadi, nephrologist who performed the surgery.