Painkillers damaging kidneys in youngsters, says expert

Painkillers and stress-reducing medicines are the primary reason for kidney ailments in youngsters, said a leading urologist here on the eve of World Kidney Day Wednesday.

"Young people use painkillers rampantly these days. Besides, they take stress-reducing medicines to deal with pressure. This wreaks havoc on their kidneys," Shivaji Basu, urologist at the Fortis Hospitals here, told IANS.

"For any kind of pain, they (youngsters) take painkillers and this has become a trend. They do not realise that frequent use of such drugs is bad for their kidneys," Basu said.

According to Basu, owing to fast paced lifestyle, youngsters are prone to pop a pill to combat any kind of problem. And since they are constantly travelling, they do not consume the required amount of water.

Basu also dubbed diabetes and blood pressure as "silent killers of the kidney".

"Earlier, aged people were affected by blood pressure and diabetes. Now the young generation is also affected by them."

"Those who have problems of blood pressure should get their check-up done at least once a year for signs of kidney disorders," said Basu.

The National Kidney Foundation of India estimates that about 100 people in a million suffer from kidney ailments in the country and around 90,000 kidney transplants are required annually in India.