Irrational and prolonged use of medicines may damage kidneys: Experts

Inadequate knowledge and prolonged and irrational use of medicines can be fatal for the health of kidneys, experts said on Friday.

As the number of people with kidney ailments rise steadily, experts said if timely attention is not given to the matter, it might assume an epidemic proportion.

Experts from various states participated virtually at the ‘Kidney Manthan 2.0’ organised by AIMIL Pharmaceuticals. Dr Prabhu S, an internal medicine specialist from Bengaluru, spoke about drug induced renal disorders and their management.

At the webinar, he said people usually keep on consuming medicines over an extended period of time without consulting doctors and without realising the threat it poses to them. Dr Sathya N Dornala, senior doctor from Swami Vivekananda Ayurvedic Hospital, New Delhi, dwelled in detail about several medicines that should not be taken over-the-counter (OTC) and added that patients should be careful while taking drugs as these can damage the kidneys. “At the same time, doctors should also ensure that they guide their patients to not indulge in such harmful practices. There are usually several alternatives to a drug. Doctors should prescribe medicines rationally and medicines should be consumed only for the time period they are prescribed for,” he said.

Giving a reference of some studies, Dr Prabhu said medicines such as pain killers, antibiotics, anti fungals, antibacterial, anti cancer and drugs used for psychological ailments may damage the kidneys. These drugs damage the kidney function and cells by increasing the number of free radicals, causing inflammation and, ultimately deterioration of the organ which plays a vital role in filtering the toxics from the body. AIMIL Pharmaceutical director Dr Sanchit Sharma advised that utmost care should be taken during the consumption of medicines for kidney protection.

For its part, AIMIL Pharmaceutical has developed herbal drug NeeriKFT as an alternative for the management of chronic kidney diseases. On the occasion, Dr S K Mishra from Odisha, Dr Satya N Dornala and Dr Sanjeev Sharma from Rajasthan also shared their views on the topic.

In the run-up to the World Kidney Day on March 9, the AIMIL Pharmaceutical has organised a six-day webinar in which renowned experts from states like Rajasthan, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are participating to create awareness among people about healthcare of the kidney.

According to various studies, every year, about 2.2 lakh new patients of End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) get added in India, resulting in additional demand for 3.4 crore dialysis every year, posing a burden on households as well as the health system. The six-day webinar has been organised on the occasion of the World Kidney Day.