Listen to Your Kidneys

Kidney disease is often called a “silent disease” because symptoms may not appear until significant kidney damage has occurred. According to Dr Srikanth Gundlapalli, Senior Consultant Nephrologist and Transplant Physician at Asian Institute of Nephrology and Urology, warning signs can include swelling, foamy or bloody urine, fatigue, nausea and difficulty controlling blood pressure.

Diabetes and hypertension are the leading causes of kidney disease, damaging the kidneys’ filtering system over time.

Dr Gundlapalli stresses the importance of regular screening, especially for those at higher risk, along with healthy lifestyle habits such as controlling blood sugar and blood pressure, reducing salt intake, exercising regularly, avoiding tobacco and limiting unnecessary use of painkillers.

Dr G. Vasu Babu, Consultant Medical Hemato-Oncologist & Bone Marrow Transplant Physician, Renova Century Hospitals, on Kidney Cancer

· Kidney cancer often develops silently and may be detected only at an advanced stage.

· Warning signs include blood in the urine, persistent back or side pain, an abdominal lump, unexplained weight loss, fatigue and recurrent fever.

· Smoking, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, age above 50 and family history are major risk factors.

· Ultrasound and CT scans are the primary tools for diagnosis.

· Surgery remains the main treatment for localised kidney cancer, while targeted therapy and immunotherapy have improved outcomes in advanced cases.

· Early detection is critical, with survival rates exceeding 90 per cent when the disease is diagnosed early.

· Maintaining a healthy weight, controlling diabetes and blood pressure, avoiding tobacco and undergoing regular health check-ups can help reduce risk.