Hyderabad: Awareness meet on kidney diseases held at Star Hospitals

Star Hospitals organised a felicitation function for kidney donors and held an awareness meet on importance of kidney health, on the occasion of World Kidney Day

Hyderabad: On the occasion of World Kidney Day, Star Hospitals organized a felicitation function for kidney donors and held an awareness meet on the importance of kidney health. The hospital also announced an exclusive Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) preventive check-up at Rs 999, which will include tests like complete blood picture, complete urine examination, GFR, and whole abdomen ultrasound.

The special package is aimed at encouraging people to prioritize their kidney health and take preventive measures to avoid kidney-related ailments while the awareness program was intended to educate people about the importance of kidney health, early diagnosis, and prevention of the disease, senior nephrologists and transplant physicians at Star Hospitals, Dr. Gandhe Sridhar, Dr. Jyothsna Guttikonda, Dr. Jella Ramashankar and Dr. Y. Sandeep Reddy, said.

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“I would like to express gratitude to women who make up the majority of kidney donors. It is a fact that 90 percent of kidney donors are women, and they are playing an instrumental role in saving lives,” Dr. Gandhe Sridhar said.

Dr. Jyothsna Guttikonda said that kidney disease is often referred to as a silent killer because it can progress slowly over a long period without any symptoms. “Many people are not aware of early warning signs and do not seek timely medical help,” Dr Jyothsna said.

Dr. Jella Ramashankar highlighted the importance of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) test and kidney health. “The eGFR test measures how well kidneys are filtering waste products from the blood. A normal eGFR range is between 70 to 100 and if the eGFR is between 15 to 70, the person can manage the condition with medications and lifestyle changes. However, if eGFR is below 15, the person needs to undergo dialysis or transplantation to manage the condition,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Y. Sandeep Reddy said that currently, only 5 percent of those who are suffering from kidney failure are able to get transplantation due to lack of donors.