Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore   

Helpline for kidney patients launched

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore Feb. 12. Nearly two million persons in the country could be facing severe kidney disease and one-fifteenth of them may be in Karnataka. This can happen to persons of any age. Now, help may be just a phone call away for them.

The Belanje Sanjeeva Hegde Trust and Manipal Institute of Nephrology and Urology have planned to start a Kidney Helpline (phone 5204000) from Saturday.

Any person who needs emergency help or information about kidney disease can call the helpline. Patients can also ask for the subsidised ambulance service to go for maintenance dialysis, which is necessary if both kidneys have stopped functioning. The ambulance service will cost a fraction of that charged by others and will be especially useful to those who have to come to the hospital during late hours for dialysis and have to depend on public transport. The Helpline is to create awareness among people about problems connected with the kidneys and preventive care and the symptoms to watch out for which may indicate a person's kidneys are not functioning as well as they should. Early diagnosis and speedy treatment can save many lives and prevent further complications. The Director of Manipal Institute of Nephrology, H.Sudarshan Ballal, said a dialysis unit and a team of trained doctors would be available round-the-clock to come to the help of those making emergency calls.

"With early diagnosis, the damage to kidneys can be slowed down without the patient having to go for dialysis and a transplant, both expensive," he said. Diagnosis of a potential kidney disorder was simple and urine and blood tests could reveal early warning signals, Dr Ballal said. Those with diabetes and high blood pressure were especially prone to kidney problems and should be more careful. The common symptoms to watch out for include decreased urine, swelling of feet, breathing problem, nausea, and vomiting.

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