The prevalence of the Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is increasing throughout the world and is rampant in some areas, especially in Asia. There is a need to use biomarkers, which are available, to actually diagnose the disease in the early stages, opines Joseph Bonventre, Chief of the Division of Nephrology, Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Joseph, accompanied by Venkata Sabbisetti, also from Harvard Medical School, visited the Andhra Medical College (AMC) here on Saturday on their way to the Uddanam region in Srikakulam district on the invitation of Jana Sena Party (JSP) founder Pawan Kalyan to study the CKD problem in the region.
Dr. Joseph and Dr. Sabbisetti interacted with Vice-Chancellor of the Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences, Vijayawada, T. Ravi Raju, AMC Principal S.V. Sudhakar, King George Hospital superintendent G. Arjuna and other senior doctors at the AMC. Dr. Ravi Raju briefed Dr. Joseph about the CKD problem in the Uddanam region, the studies that had already been done in the area and the need to undertake further studies to know the exact cause of the disease.
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‘Concerted efforts needed’
Later, addressing the media, Dr. Joseph said: “Though a number of epidemiological studies were done in the region in the past, I suspect they have underestimated the incidence of the CKD. Coordinated efforts are needed to understand the disease and its causes and to develop strategies to deal with the problem.”
He felt the studies would also benefit people suffering from the CKD in other parts of the world.
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Dr. Sabbisetti said Mr. Pawan Kalyan, during his address at Harvard University, spoke about the CKD problem in the Uddanam region and sought our help in identifying the cause and treating the patients.
“We are here on Mr. Pawan Kalyan’s invitation and we will coordinate with the Government of Andhra Pradesh in finding a solution to the problem.”
Dr. Ravi Raju said though CKD had been prevalent in the region for the last 15-20 years, its cause was not known. He spoke about the efforts of the government in the last one year to provide better medical care and testing centres in the region.
He said CKD special clinics and specialist doctors would be appointed soon in the region. Dialysis centres had been opened in remote villages to treat the end-stage patients.
“This is not a political issue but a people’s problem, and it needs coordinated efforts,” Dr. Sabbisetty said when a reporter asked him whether it was a JSP programme or a government initiative.