L.V. Hoà, a 40-year-old man residing in HCM City, goes to Thống Nhất Hospital for routine dialysis three days a week after he had a health check-up and was diagnosed with kidney failure.

“I just felt tired and dizziness for several days before I visited doctors for a health check-up and was diagnosed with kidney failure,” said Hoà, who has three kids. “I had been healthy before so had not had regular health check-ups before I felt sick and tired.”

“I am a breadwinner for my family but now I need to have dialysis or a kidney transplant to live. I have to pay around VNĐ10 million (US$400) a month in treatment costs but I am not healthy enough to go to work,” he added.

Assoc. Prof. Nguyễn Bách, head of the Department of Nephrology – Dialysis at Thống Nhất Hospital, said his department has seen a rise in young patients aged between 20-40 years having chronic kidney disease.

Many young patients were diagnosed with kidney disease and treated with dialysis when they felt unwell and came to the hospital for their first health check-ups, Bách said.

There are usually no symptoms of kidney disease in the early stages, leaving many patients undiagnosed until the condition is advanced, he said.

It is necessary to have regular tests to check for chronic kidney disease to detect it early, he said.

There is no cure for chronic kidney disease, but treatment may control the condition and slow the decline in kidney function, he added.

Chronic kidney disease can progress to end-stage kidney failure, which is fatal without dialysis or a kidney transplant.

Many young people have unhealthy lifestyles that accelerate the decline of kidney function such as eating more animal protein, lack of adequate water intake, and frequent use of painkillers, over-the-counter supplements and traditional medicines.

Young people usually neglect regular health check-ups to monitor their health condition and detect kidney disease early.

Chợ Rẫy Hospital in HCM City, one of the largest hospitals in the southern region, has offered treatment for nearly 500 patients with kidney failure who need dialysis to survive since the beginning of this year, including nearly 60 patients aged under 35 years.

Most of them get treatment at the hospital as chronic kidney disease progresses to end-stage kidney failure.

Dr. Huỳnh Ngọc Phương Thảo, head of the Department of Nephrology – Dialysis at the University Medical Centre in HCM City, said chronic kidney disease is a global public health problem, affecting around 8.6 per cent of the global population.

Around 19 per cent of the 1,500 patients who visit the hospital for health check-ups a day are found to have kidney problems through urine tests or a rental ultrasound.

One in 10 patients who are found having kidney problems through urine tests and ultrasound are identified with chronic kidney disease following some kidney function tests and monitoring.

Patients have no symptoms in early stages of the disease, making regular health check-ups important to detect it early, particularly among people with high risk factors for the disease, Thảo said.

High risk factors for chronic kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and older age, she said.

In the early stages, patients can be treated with medication that can slow the progression of the disease, she added. 

In Việt Nam, around 8,000 new cases of chronic kidney disease are reported a year, according to the Việt Nam Dialysis Association.

More than 10 million people are suffering from chronic kidney disease and 800,000 people with kidney failure need dialysis for survival.

Free kidney screening

Doctors said that the way to find out if people have chronic kidney disease is through blood and urine tests and advised people to have regular check-ups to detect the disease early.

Thống Nhất Hospital will carry out a campaign of free kidney screenings for 10,000 young people in the city in an attempt to raise public awareness of the risk for kidney disease and the importance of detecting it early among young people, said Assoc. Prof. Đỗ Kim Quế, deputy director of the hospital.

The one-year campaign, beginning this month, will focus on workers at industrial parks and locals in residential areas, Quế said.

It takes only 20 minutes for health workers to measure blood pressure and perform urine tests to find kidney damage, he said.

Early prevention and detection of chronic kidney disease will reduce burdens for patients, their families and society, he added. — VNS