Chronic kidney disease is increasing and getting younger.

(Baothanhhoa.vn) - In the past, patients on dialysis were mainly elderly people, rarely young patients, but now the number of these patients is getting younger. Notably, patients under 40 years old with end-stage chronic kidney failure requiring dialysis tend to increase. This is an alarm bell for everyone. In particular, kidney disease often progresses silently, is very difficult to detect, and patients who come to the hospital for treatment are often in a severe stage.

Dialysis patients at Thanh Hoa Provincial General Hospital.

In Thanh Hoa, records at medical facilities show that patients with kidney failure are increasing and getting younger. If in the past, kidney failure often only appeared in people aged 60 and over, now the proportion of young people under 40 years old is increasing. According to statistics at a number of hospitals in the province, patients with chronic kidney failure requiring dialysis have increased by nearly 40% in the past 5 years. Of the more than 500 patients with chronic kidney failure undergoing periodic dialysis at the Kidney - Dialysis Center, Thanh Hoa General Hospital, nearly 20% of patients are between the ages of 18 and 40. At Tho Xuan District General Hospital, of the 133 patients with chronic kidney failure undergoing periodic dialysis, 14.3% are aged 40 and under.

Born in 1987, patient Ng.TH has been battling end-stage chronic kidney disease for more than 3 years. Every week, she regularly goes to the Kidney - Dialysis Center, Thanh Hoa General Hospital for dialysis to maintain her life - a process that has become an essential part of her life.

As for patient LTN, born in 1995, for more than 2 years, he has had to undergo dialysis. He regularly goes to the hospital for dialysis 3 times a week. Mr. LTN shared: At home, I have symptoms of fatigue, jaundice, loss of appetite, insomnia... My job often requires me to work at night and stay up late. I did not think I had kidney failure, but when I went to the doctor, I discovered that I had chronic glomerulonephritis. After a period of treatment, the complications turned into end-stage kidney failure. Having kidney failure requires regular dialysis, which greatly affects my daily life as well as my work and my family's.

Dr. Quach Anh Tuan, Director of the Kidney - Dialysis Center, Thanh Hoa General Hospital, said: Patients with end-stage renal failure are getting younger and younger due to many reasons, including unhealthy lifestyles, alcohol, beer, stimulants; unreasonable use of painkillers, antibiotics; use of functional foods of unknown origin; some patients have pre-existing autoimmune diseases, metabolic diseases caused by diabetes... When kidney failure occurs, patients must undergo dialysis, depending entirely on periodic dialysis. Patients with kidney disease often have symptoms such as facial swelling, leg swelling, headaches, sleep disorders, swelling in both eyelids, cloudy urine, blood in the urine, frequent urination at night... If the patient does not go to the doctor, the disease will not be detected in time, leading to chronic kidney failure. When kidney failure occurs and is not treated thoroughly, it will cause end-stage renal failure requiring dialysis to maintain life. Notably, the number of people with chronic kidney failure is getting younger and younger, the number of people requiring dialysis continues to increase, which is a burden for the patient's family and a challenge for the health sector. This is also a warning bell for everyone, especially young people with unhealthy lifestyles.

According to medical experts, the cause of chronic kidney disease is primarily due to glomerular damage that is not treated promptly; metabolic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, gout; due to the influence of unscientific lifestyle such as: eating a lot of processed foods, eating too much energy, abusing stimulants, lack of exercise... increasing the risk of chronic kidney disease; due to the habit of using unreasonable drugs such as: painkillers, antibiotics; many cases of the disease arbitrarily use oriental medicine, drugs of unknown origin, use drugs without a doctor's prescription. In addition, some patients with chronic kidney disease are also due to genetic factors. Kidney disease often progresses silently, is very difficult to detect and patients who come to the hospital for treatment are already in a severe stage. End-stage chronic kidney failure is a huge burden for the patient himself as well as his family and society, especially when the patient is young, because the treatment is very expensive. To reduce the risk of chronic kidney failure, each person needs to maintain a healthy diet, increase the intake of vegetables, drink plenty of water, reduce the amount of salt in the diet, exercise regularly to improve health, and use medications as prescribed by the doctor. In particular, it is necessary to have regular health check-ups to detect abnormal signs and treat promptly, avoiding kidney diseases from progressing to chronic kidney failure.

Abnormal health signs that people need to see a doctor include: swelling of hands, feet, face, headache, high blood pressure, frequent urination at night. In case of signs such as cloudy urine, foaming, urine of different color, it is necessary to go to a specialized medical facility for examination. If there is someone in the family with kidney failure, blood relatives should screen for kidney function, blood tests, urine tests to assess and detect early pathological problems.

Article and photos: To Ha

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/benh-suy-than-man-nbsp-ngay-cang-gia-tang-va-tre-hoa-250284.htm