Staff Correspondent:

The estimated number of people suffering from kidney disease in the country exceeds 12.9 million. Every year, approximately 17,000 individuals die due to kidney-related illness. These deaths primarily result from nine types of kidney diseases. Many people travel abroad annually for kidney treatment.

Information regarding the prevalence, mortality rates and types of kidney diseases in Bangladesh has been obtained from the website of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington in Seattle, United States.

For over one and a half decades, IHME has been collecting and analysing health data from more than 200 countries worldwide, regularly publishing research articles. Their database provides statistical information on various diseases across nearly all countries and regions.

There is no national survey or research on kidney disease in the country. For nearly two decades, kidney disease specialists have been stating that approximately 20 million people in the country suffer from some form of kidney disease. This statistic is widely used across various platforms, including the media.

According to data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), people in Bangladesh suffer from nine types of kidney diseases.

These include: Chronic kidney disease due to type-2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease due to hypertension, chronic kidney disease due to type-1 diabetes, kidney cancer, kidney disease caused by some urinary tract disorder, kidney stones, kidney inflammation, acute kidney inflammation and several other unspecified cases.

EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM

Statistics from IHME indicate that nearly two million people from Bangladesh develop some kind of kidney disease each year. Among these, kidney stones are the most prevalent issue.

Former professor of the National Institute of Kidney Diseases and Urology, Kazi Rafiqul Abedin told Prothom Alo, “This problem is severe in Bangladesh. Even after the removal or treatment of the kidney stones, they often recur. There is virtually no preventive initiative in place.”

Specialist physicians highlight that one of the leading causes of kidney disease is type-2 diabetes. If diabetes remains uncontrolled, the risk of kidney disease significantly increases.

According to statistics, more than 2.04 million people in the country suffer from chronic kidney disease caused by type-2 diabetes. Additionally, 389,000 people suffer from kidney disease due to hypertension while 4,716 patients have been diagnosed with kidney cancer.

Mortality statistics are also available from IHME. Their data indicates that 17,078 people die from kidney disease in the country each year. The highest number of deaths occurs due to chronic kidney disease caused by type-2 diabetes, accounting for approximately 4,500 fatalities annually.

More than 3000 people die each year from kidney disease caused by hypertension, while 813 people die because of kidney cancer.

Public health expert Abu Jamil Faisal “The entire world relies on IHME’s data and statistics. While these figures are estimated, they are still reliable. This data provides us with insights into kidney disease in Bangladesh that were previously unavailable to us.”

SEEKING TREATMENT ABROAD

Kidney disease is often a long-term condition. When kidney failure occurs, there are two primary treatment options: regular dialysis or kidney transplantation. In government hospitals, each dialysis session costs between BDT 1,500 to 2,000.

Patients typically require dialysis at least twice a week. Even for middle-class families, sustaining long-term dialysis treatment is challenging. On the other hand, kidney transplantation is not only difficult due to the shortage of available donors but also involves a significant one-time expense.

As a result, many people remain sceptical about the quality of kidney disease treatment in the country. A considerable number of patients seek medical treatment abroad. Kidney disease is among the leading conditions for which Bangladeshis travel overseas for healthcare.

Last month, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) released the preliminary report of a public opinion survey on healthcare sector reforms. The survey identified 11 major medical conditions for which people seek treatment abroad.

These include cancer, heart disease, kidney disease, infertility, diabetes, injuries from road or fire accidents, bone and spinal disorders, eye problems, neurological diseases, mental health disorders and respiratory illness.

The survey reveals that the highest proportion of individuals seeking medical treatment abroad, 29.8 per cent travel for heart disease treatment. The second most common reason is kidney disease, with 17.3 per cent of patients going abroad for kidney-related treatment. Additionally, 14.8 per cent travel overseas for cancer treatment.

In this context, World Kidney Day is being observed on Thursday 13 March. Several private organisations are celebrating the occasion.