Leading kidney specialists from across India have issued a strong call for a unified medical strategy to tackle a cluster of interconnected life-threatening conditions. The urgent appeal was made during key deliberations at the Indian Society of Nephrology Annual Conference, currently being hosted in Lucknow.
A Paradigm Shift: From Fragmented to Integrated Care
The conference focused intensely on the concept of Cardiovascular Kidney Metabolic syndrome (CKM). Experts argued that heart disease, kidney disorders, and metabolic problems like diabetes often occur together but are frequently treated in isolation by different specialists. This fragmented approach, they warn, is failing patients.
Professor Narayan Prasad, head of nephrology at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) – the host institute for this year's national conference – explained the critical gap. "Cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic conditions often occur together but are too often treated apart," he stated. Professor Prasad emphasized that this separation leads to missed diagnoses, delayed treatment, and worsening health outcomes. He warned that in advanced stages, CKM syndrome can result in heart failure, kidney failure, stroke, and premature death.
The proposed solution is a fundamental shift in medical perspective. By recognizing CKM as a single, connected syndrome, healthcare systems can move from reactive care to earlier detection and coordinated treatment, ultimately saving lives and improving patient quality of life.
Why Kidneys Are the Central Hub in NCD Battle
Veteran nephrologist Dr. Amit Gupta, head of the nephrology department at Apollomedics Super Speciality Hospitals, detailed the pivotal role of kidney health in the non-communicable disease (NCD) landscape. "Kidneys are entangled in NCDs business in several ways," Dr. Gupta noted, highlighting the undeniable two-way link between kidney and heart health.
He explained that kidneys frequently bear the brunt when other NCDs progress. "Keeping an eye on kidney health is a crucial measure in the management of NCDs particularly," he advised. The deterioration of kidney function, often an inevitable consequence of uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension, leads to chronic kidney disease (CKD). This condition, once established, can become irreversible, forcing patients into lifelong dialysis or the search for a kidney transplant – journeys fraught with immense personal and systemic challenges, including organ availability.
The Staggering Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases
The push for a CKM model is driven by the grim reality of NCDs globally and in India. Non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. Within this group, cardiovascular diseases claim the most lives, followed by cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes. Kidney disease deaths, frequently a direct complication of diabetes, contribute significantly to this toll.
Adding to the complexity is metabolic syndrome – a cluster of conditions including high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol levels. This syndrome acts as a powerful precursor, setting the stage for more severe NCDs to develop.
The high-level discussion in Lucknow was attended by Lieutenant General (Dr.) Madhuri Kanitkar (Retd), a distinguished member of the Prime Minister's Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC), underscoring the national importance of the topic. The consensus among the nephrology community is clear: defeating the epidemic of non-communicable diseases requires breaking down silos between medical specialties and treating the patient as a whole, with the interconnected CKM syndrome at the forefront of clinical strategy.
