Ten percent of Lankans afflicted with kidney diseases

By Pradeep Prasanna Samarakoon and Chaminda Silva

Around 10 percent of Sri Lankans suffer from kidney diseases, Dr. Sanjaya Heiyantuduwa. Consultant Nephrologist and adviser to Sri Lanka Kidney Patients Association says.

Dr. Heiyantuduwa said most cases were reported from the Western Province and that was due to diabetes and high blood pressure.North Central, North Western and Uva provinces too had a large number of kidney patients, he said.

Dr. Heiyantuduwa said most kidney patients in North Central, North Western and Uva provinces came from farming communities.

He said around 150,000 people had been affected by CKD/CKDu.To combat this, Sri Lanka had established several hundred public reverse osmosis (RO) water filtration units in affected areas, he said.