DMCH celebrates `World Kidney Day’

Ludhiana, March 14, 2013: DMC&H, Ludhiana today celebrated “8th World Kidney Day” by organising a seminar on `Recent Advances in Acute Kidney Injury’ in the morning followed by poster competition and role played by the students in OPD complex.

The theme this year is `Acute Kidney Injury/ Kidney Attack.  STOP Kidney Attack! Protect your kidneys’.

On this occasion, the Chief guest Dr. Daljit Singh Principal and Professor of paediatrics inaugurated the function and Dr Sandeep Puri Medical Superintendent and Dr J S Shandhu (Professor and Head Department of Nephrology, DMCH), Dr. Vikas Makkar associate professor and Dr. P.M Sohal assistant professor were also present.

Giving information on the topic Dr J S Sandhu (Professor and Head Department of Nephrology) said that acute kidney injury (AKI) is common, harmful, treatable and largely preventable. There is a global increase in the incidence of Acute Kidney Injury, old name Acute Renal Failure. It is estimated that about 2 million people die of AKI every year. Most causes of acute kidney failure can be prevented at the individual, community, regional or in-hospital level. Prevention is the key to reducing the burden of AKI.

Dr. Sandhu further added that AKI occurs in 20% of hospitalised patients and 45% of intensive care unit admissions. Fortunately AKI is curable in most of the cases, with appropriate in-hospital treatment especially the dialysis. In India, AKI has a peculiar bimodal presentation. In Urban areas, the main cause is infection (sepsis) and nephrotoxic drugs. In Rural areas, it is generally due to community acquired diseases especially diarrheal diseases, infections like malaria, dengue, leptospira, HIV and snake bite intoxication and use of indigenous drugs.

It was stated that DMC&H has saved a large no of patients with this serious kidney disease and presented its data in various International Nephrology Conferences in UK, Australia, Argentina, Germany, Sweden and Italy and published its data in various prestigious International and National Kidney Journals.