On June 4, 2022, Health Live @ Seniors Today hosted their weekly webinar with Dr Jatin Kothari, who spoke on and answered questions about Chronic Kidney Disease in Senior Citizens.
Dr Jatin Kothari is Director – Nephrology & Chief Consultant – Renal Transplant Medicine at Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital, Mumbai.
He is a DM in Nephrology and MD in Medicine from Bombay University following his MBBS also from Mumbai. He has done a Clinical fellowship in Nephrology and Transplantation from the University of Toronto. He is a Visiting ISPD Scientist at the University of Missouri Health Sciences, Columbia, USA, an International Society of Nephrology Education Ambassador, he has done the ISN Global Outreach Programme, the International Transplant Observership at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA, and the Roche Preceptorship in kidney transplantation, University of Alabama, Birmingham, USA. He has an ISN-ANIO Fellowship in Nephropathology and Preceptorship in Kidney Transplantation at the University of Toulouse in France.
Dr Kothari is a former Joint Secretary of the Zonal Transplant Coordination Committee (ZTCC)-Maharashtra, India-2010-16, a Fellow of the International Society of Nephrology. He is a Postgraduate teacher for DNB Nephrology since 2006 at the Hinduja Hospital.
He has done a Transformational Leadership course for Healthcare Management from the International School of Business, Hyderabad and a Certificate course on Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies – HarvardX (Online initiative of Harvard University). He is currently pursuing his PhD in Social entrepreneurship at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai.
One can have a well functioning and healthy life even if they have just one functioning kidney. You can live a normal and healthy life with even just one functioning kidney which is why individuals are encouraged to donate one kidney to their relatives and loved ones, if the need arises.
There are 2 very basic tests and investigations that are carried out on someone when we’re suspecting kidney disease. These are:
- Serum creatinine: This gives us an estimate of the creatinine level in the blood which is suggestive of the function of the kidney.
- Urine analysis: this is. Simple investigation that can let us know about any early signs of kidney disease, if there are any. In this test, they will also check the protein content in your urine. If there is some protein leakage or traces of protein are found in the urine, in such cases we are able to identify a renal problem sooner than later.
Beyond the age of 40, it is advised that all individuals get these two investigations regularly done.
If your renal function is at 100% at the age of 40, it will invariably drop to 60% by the age of 80 without any disease or any predisposing factor to renal disease.
The incidence of Chronic Kidney Disease over the last 30 years has been increasing at pandemic proportion. And 2 of the most common causes that are leading to this change are diabetes and hypertension. These 2 account for about 60% of the patients who suffer from chronic kidney disease. These 2 risk factors lead to further deterioration of the renal function.
Male patients with recurrent urinary tract infections due to prostate diseases tend to also suffer from chronic kidney disease. Recurrent UTIs is another risk factor.
Life on dialysis can also still be normal. With proper treatment and compliance with the medical advice by the nephrologist, an individual on dialysis can have a near normal life upto 15-20 years.
Some tips and ways in which you can prevent kidney disease:
- Avoid taking medications without consulting with your physician. One of the most common causes for renal disease is drug induced renal dysfunction/ failure. This includes medicines for pain and Ayurvedic medicines for general well being.
- Take upto 6-8 glasses of water. If you have an understanding by heart or kidney condition, you need to have a word with your treating physician and ask if you need to reduce your fluid intake
- Avoid consuming alcohol frequently.
- Smoking is strongly condemned. It is a risk factor for not just kidney disease but also for other kinds of cancer.
