KARACHI, Feb 13: End-stage kidney disease is assuming alarming proportions. And Pakistan is among the countries where its prevalence is increasing.

This was stated by Prof S.A. Jaffar Naqvi at a symposium on "Excellence in Dialysis", organized on Friday by the Kidney Foundation. The professor was of the opinion that the only treatment widely available in the country was dialysis, which was an expensive option.

The quality of life also suffered due to dialysis. It was, therefore, important for the masses that a better alternative was made available to them soon, observed Prof Naqvi. Transplantation was a better option but because the law on cadaver donation was yet to be adopted, this option could not be exercised in as many cases as required.

Turning to the reasons behind the increasing prevalence of end-stage renal disease, the professor revealed that 55 per cent of the people suffering from it also had hypertension or diabetes. The people should get proper care for these ailments.

Prof Naqvi said the best way to avoid end-stage renal disease was to prevent it. "We should drink a lot of water and juices. This will keep us away from complications."

In his chief guest's speech, the Vice-Chancellor of Karachi University said he was ready to extend a helping hand to the Kidney Foundation in undertaking research studies. He praised the foundation for collating valuable data.

Prof Pirzada Qasim was of the opinion that Kidney Foundation's performance was good even though the environment was not very conducive. He added that in the areas in which the public sector did not want to invest too much, non-governmental and non-profit organizations should be active. A. Razzak Thabba, Prof Sameeh Khan and Dr Bilal Jamil also spoke on the occasion. Later a scientific session was held.