Dialysis patients getting younger due to lifestyle diseases

KEEPING KIDNEYS HEALTHY. National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) Adult Nephrology Consultants Anthony Russell Villanueva (center) and Amor Patrice Socorro Estabillo (right) discuss the relationship of food or nutrition to kidney disease during a press conference at the Philippine Information Agency Building in Quezon City on Friday (June 20, 2024). The two urged the public to avoid food high in sodium and sugar to have healthy kidneys. (PNA photo by Ma. Teresa P. Montemayor)

MANILA – More young adults are undergoing dialysis due to lifestyle-related diseases, particularly diabetes and hypertension, the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) said Friday.

“Nakakakita po kami ngayon ng mas batang populasyon ng mga nagda-dialysis (We are now seeing a younger population undergoing dialysis),” NKTI Adult Nephrology Consultant Amor Patrice Socorro Estabillo said during a press conference in Quezon City.

She noted that poor dietary choices – preference for salty and sweet foods – fueled the rise in chronic illnesses that directly impact kidney health resulting in younger dialysis patients.

READ:

Major win for dialysis patients: Peritoneal dialysis coverage up P1.2M

PhilHealth raises hemodialysis coverage to P6,350 per session

PhilHealth hikes benefits package for kidney patients

Citing the Philippine Renal Registry that the NKTI has been maintaining since the early 1990s, NKTI Emergency Department Head Anthony Russell Villanueva said there has been a shift in the disease and dialysis patterns among the patients.

“Noong mga ‘90s up to the year 2000, pinaka-cause ng end-stage renal disease ay ‘yung sakit na (In the 1990s through to the early 2000s, the leading cause of end-stage renal disease was) glomerulonephritis. It is unrelated to nutrition or food,” he said.

Glomerulonephritis is a disorder characterized by inflammation and damage to the glomeruli, the tiny filtering units in the kidneys. Its symptoms include blood and protein in the urine, swelling or edema, high blood pressure, and reduced urine output.

Villanueva said the leading cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) shifted to diabetes in 2000. Hypertension came in as a secondary cause of kidney disease.

“That time, nag-shift na ang diet ng Pilipino to a more western diet. Alam natin lumaganap na ang fast food that time. This has been something that contributed also sa pag-increase of patients (the Filipino diet has shifted to a more western diet. We know that fast food became widespread during that time, and this has contributed to the increase in patients),” he said.

According to the NKTI, kidney transplantation provides ESRD patients with the highest quality of life and longest survival despite the availability of dialysis.

Villanueva disclosed that the NKTI and other transplantation centers nationwide serve 300 to 500 transplant patients every year.

“A good percentage of the transplantation happens in the NKTI. I think close to 60 percent to 70 percent of transplantation sa ospital namin ginagawa (is done in our hospital),” he said.

As the number of younger dialysis patients continues to climb, the NKTI emphasizes the importance of nutrition and awareness of chronic diseases related to food to prevent kidney diseases.

Patients with chronic kidney diseases can also benefit from proper nutrition, as it can slow down the progression of the illness and delay the need for dialysis.

The public is advised to avoid or limit foods high in sodium, potassium, phosphorus, and protein, as well as alcohol and sugary foods. These include canned food, processed meats, salty condiments, and certain fruits high in sugar. (PNA)