Cause of kidney diseases in the NCP yet unknown GMOA

By Zahrah Imtiaz- Tuesday, 12 Nov

2013

The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) said there are 150,000 kidney patients in the orth !entral "rovince ( !"), and #0,000 of them die ann$ally, d$e to the disease% &'e need to kno( the tr$th )ehind kidney diseases in the co$ntry% 'e have 150,000 kidney patients in the orth !entral "rovince o$t (hich #0,000 die ann$ally, and (e still dont kno( the act$al ca$se or ca$ses that have led to so many people in the province )ein* afflicted (ith kidney disease, the GMOA +pokesperson, ,r% avin ,e +oysa said, at a media )riefin* held yesterday% ,r% +oysa e-plained, &There are vario$s research *ro$ps in the co$ntry claimin* to kno( the ans(er )$t they need to start talkin* to each other to come to a common concl$sion% 'e have identified 10 research teams that have done e-tensive (ork in the field and have invited them to a symposi$m% The symposi$m (ill have t(o panels. one composed of the research teams and relevant e-perts, and the other (ill have *overnment officials from the /ealth and A*ric$lt$re Ministries%0 The symposi$m (ill )e held on the #1 ovem)er from 2%00 a%m% to 3%00 p%m% at the O"A 4$ildin*% The symposi$m is also open to civil society mem)ers and vario$s *ro$ps interested in kidney disease% +peakin* at the )riefin*, the +ecretary of the An$radhap$ra 4ranch of the GMOA, ,r% !hinthaka 'i5e(ardena, said6 &An$radhap$ra seems to )e one of the (orst area that has )een afflicted (ith vario$s forms of kidney disease% 'e have (hole villa*es of people s$fferin* from the disease% 7t mostly affects men from the a*es of 30 8 50 years (ho are also the )read(inners of the family% These patients have to $nder*o dialysis (hich is an e-pensive form of treatment% As s$ch, families concerned feel the impact of a loss of income, stron*ly% &Another ca$se for concern iss$e is the fact that (e do not kno( the e-act n$m)er of people (ho are affected )y kidney disease as there is no proper mechanism to record s$ch statistics% ot even a post9mortem is cond$cted on those (ho die d$e to kidney9related diseases% The 'orld /ealth Or*ani:ation ('/O) reports that 15; of the orth !entral "rovince is affected )y kidney disease )$t (e s$spect the percenta*e to )e hi*her% <idney diseases also seem to )e mostly prevalent in the dry :one% 7f (e allo( this sit$ation to contin$e, it (o$ld $ndo$)tedly

lead to serio$s reperc$ssions (hich (e may not )e e=$ipped to deal (ith%0 (Ceylon Today Online)

Sri Lanka: Kidney disease takes at least two lives a day

Published by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI)

By Darshana Medis ! "une #$ % !hronic kidney disease (!<,), the ca$ses of (hich have not )een f$lly identified, is takin* at least t(o lives a day in +ri >ankas orth !entral and ?va provinces% 7t has already killed more than #0,000 people, mainly from poor farmin* families, over the past t(o decades% !$rrently over #00,000 patients, incl$din* children as yo$n* as 10, s$ffer from the disease% At least 15 percent of the pop$lation in the 158@0 a*e *ro$p in the t(o provinces has )een affected% The sit$ation appears to )e (orsenin*, (ith the disease spreadin* to the orth 'estern and +o$thern provinces% 7n one of the (orst9affected areas, "adavi9+rip$ra in orth !entral "rovince, 500 residents have died from the disease% At the local secondary school, "al$*as(an*$(a Maha Aidyalaya, a)o$t 50 st$dents have lost one or )oth of their parents% >ike previo$s *overnments, "resident Mahinda Ba5apakses administration has done nothin* to prevent the disease or minimise its toll, apart from appointin* committees from time to time% "atients need costly kidney dialysis, )$t for many that is not availa)le% They die (aitin* for )eds in over9stretched state hospitals, )eca$se p$)lic health spendin* has )een slashed )y s$ccessive *overnments% An*ered )y callo$s official indifference, the villa*ers in ,ehiattakandiya in eastern Ampara district have named a local road &'ak$*ad$ Ma(atha0 (<idney Boad)% There is at least one !<, patient in every ho$se% ,octors say that men involved in farmin* for more than 10 years are at a hi*her risk of developin* the disease, )$t the a)sence of clinical symptoms $ntil its late sta*es makes dia*nosis and treatment diffic$lt% The 'orld /ealth Or*anisation ('/O) la$nched a research pro5ect several years a*o )$t has )een $na)le to definitely identify the diseases ca$ses% >ast year, the '/O stated that m$ltiple ca$ses, incl$din* e-pos$re to arsenic and cadmi$m, mi*ht )e responsi)le% Appro-imately 11 percent of !<, patients had arsenic andCor cadmi$m in their $rine% The (ater so$rces $sed )y the patients (ere 22 percent hard% /ardness of (ater is kno(n to reflect heavy metal to-icity% Besearchers from t(o $niversities, <elaniya and Ba5arata (collectively kno(n as <BBT), concl$ded that the prime ca$se of disease is metalloid arsenic% Their st$dy fo$nd that arsenic compo$nds acc$m$lated in the kidney )eca$se food s$pplies (especially drinkin* (ater and rice) (ere contaminated (ith arsenic, d$e to the $se of a*ro9chemicals containin* the to-in%

The researchers said they fo$nd hi*h =$antities of arsenic in the soil, *ro$nd(ater, rice and pesticides% ot only rice, )$t also corn, ve*eta)les and plants *ro(n in the area, positively tested for arsenic, as (ell as merc$ry% ,r% !hanna Dayas$mana from the ,epartment of "harmacolo*y at the Ba5arata ?niversity Eac$lty of Medicine (arned6 &'hile there is a relation )et(een arsenic in (ater and the hi*h prevalence of !<, in some parts of +ri >ankas dry :one, the spread of ailments associated (ith arsenic poisonin*, s$ch as, cancers, ischemic heart diseases, cere)ro9vasc$lar diseases and dia)etes mellit$s, co$ld mean that s$ch poisonin* is placin* the (hole nation at a risk%0 Dayas$mana e-plained the research findin*s6 &The presence of arsenic (as determined in samples of rice collected from the affected areas, in the $rine, )lood, )ody parts and hair samples of !<, patients, in (ater samples from paddy fields and in the soil%0 Another team mem)er, ,r% !hinthaka 'i5e(ardena of "adavi9+rip$ra /ospital, said6 &'e fo$nd hi*her proportions of arsenic content in )ody parts% 7t (as over 10815 percent hi*her than the '/O recommended levels%0 ?nlike some other co$ntries s$ch as 4an*ladesh (here heavy metal (ater contamination is a ma5or pro)lem, +ri >ankas soil and *ro$nd(ater is not considered to nat$rally contain arsenic, cadmi$m and merc$ry in ha:ardo$s amo$nts% Therefore, if arsenic or merc$ry is detected in (ater andCor rice, a*ro9chemicals are the most o)vio$s so$rce of contamination% The importation of pesticides containin* arsenic in any form is )anned $nder the "esticide !ontrol Act% There are no permissi)le levels for arsenic, either as an active in*redient, inert material or imp$rityCcontaminant% 4$t importers and local distri)$tors of a*ro9chemicals have )een sellin* pesticides and fertilisers (ith )anned s$)stances for years, protected )y *overnments% The Ba5apakse *overnment initially re5ected the <BBT st$dy )eca$se of emer*in* p$)lic panic a)o$t the dan*ers of eatin* rice, and press$re from a*ro9chemical importers% A*rarian +ervices Minister +%M% !handrasena asked sarcastically6 &'e (ere told to promote rice over )read and no( they say rice has arsenic% 'hat do they (ant $s to eatF GrassF0 A*ric$lt$re Minister Mahinda Gapa A)ey(ardena said6 &Arsenic is contained even in chocolates in permissi)le levels% 7t is not harmf$l%0 /o(ever, nationally9 and internationally9accredited la)oratories fo$nd arsenic in some imported pesticides, leavin* the *overnment no option )$t to accept the <BBT findin*s% 7nstead of takin* remedial action, ho(ever, the *overnment is tryin* to $se the research to 5$stify c$ttin* fertiliser s$)sidies to farmers, sayin* that it is harmf$l% As early as Octo)er #011, the '/O stated in its Mission Beport that the c$m$lative nat$re of heavy metal e-pos$re and the increasin* incidence of !<,, for (hich there is no kno(n c$re, demanded $r*ent action to ens$re the safe $se of a*ro9chemicals% The (idespread incidence of !<, in +ri >anka $nderscores the indifference of s$ccessive *overnments, despite )oastin* of safe*$ardin* farmers% Eor t(o decades, they have failed to )rin* to )ear the necessary medical kno(led*e and technolo*ical advances to identify and eliminate the ca$ses of the disease%