CHENNAI: The Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) has started a pilot study to identify chronic kidney disease among the rural population. Doctors said the drive began on Saturday and would cover up to 1,500 people.
“We have had eight patients with kidney diseases from Sengadu in Kancheepuram in the past and some were from the same street. So we wanted to know why the prevalence of kidney issues is high in this village,” Dr N Gopalakrishnan, Director of Institute of Nephrology told TNIE.
In the project, 40 doctors and more than 20 technicians are involved. Gopalakrishnan said the pilot study primarily focuses on identifying the illness early and providing treatment. “The village has 387 families and 1,500 people,” he said, adding most patients were in their 20s and 30s.
Hospital Dean, Dr E Theranirajan, said unknown factors could have caused the illness but after early detection and treatment, they would study the cause as well. “Early detection can save these lives and prevent the illness from going critical,” he said.
Doctors believe water salinity and contamination can contribute to early kidney disease. “The community medicine department had been assigned for outreach but this is the first time the nephrology department is doing an outreach programme,” the dean said.