Experts issue danger signal on obesity

Experts have said that more people are dying of obesity-related diseases, mostly caused by overeating and lifestyle problems, than malnutrition. Quoting a WHO report at a roundtable yesterday, the experts said that one- third of global citizens were overweight, which means around 67 crore people are obese, and this is the source of many deadly diseases. One-fourth of the Bangladeshi population were suffering from obesity, they claimed. The experts said treatment of kidney patients in Bangladesh was very expensive. They demanded that the government should reduce the price of medicines and exempt taxes on imported machinery required for treatment of kidneys. The Kidney Awareness Monitoring and Prevention Society (KAMPS), a voluntary organisation, held the roundtable on “Kidney Disease and Obesity: Healthy Lifestyle for Healthy Kidney” at the Jatiya Press Club to mark World Kidney Day.
“Obesity is one of the most familiar 10 death risks. It is directly linked with kidney diseases. Being overweight directly harms nephrons and indirectly causes harm to the kidney through high blood pressure, diabetes and heart diseases,” said Prof. MA Samad, head of department of kidney at Labaid Specialised Hospital.
He also said obesity was the origin of many deadly diseases.
In his keynote paper, Dr Samad, who is also chairman of the KAMPS, said about two crore people were suffering from kidney-related diseases. “The cost of treatment of this disease is so high that at least 10 per cent of the patients cannot afford it. Most kidney patients in Bangladesh die without any treatment. Awareness can prevent nearly 50 to 60 per cent of kidney failure cases. For this, a sound lifestyle from early childhood is needed,” he added. He also said that the risk of 68 per cent kidney-related diseases could be prevented only by lifestyle changes. He proposed regular walking, consumption of fruits and vegetables, keeping weight under control and avoiding smoking in this regard.
Prof. Harun Ur Rashid, founder president of the Kidney Foundation, said there were only 96 dialysis centres in the country, where 18,000 patients could undergo dialysis twice a week. “In private dialysis centres, the cost ranges from Tk. 3500 to Tk. 5000, which is beyond the affordability of the common people,” he added. “In South Asia only 15 per cent of kidney patients get an opportunity for dialysis, while others cannot afford it due to poverty,” he said. Rezwana Hasan, executive director of BELA, Col (retd) Mir Motahar Hossain, chief adviser of ATN Bangla, Dr Mohibur Rahman, secretary general of the Bangladesh Renal Association, Dr Abdul Halim, Shaheen Reza Noor and cricketer Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu, among others, also spoke on the occasion.

 

Experts issue danger signal on obesity

Experts have said that more people are dying of obesity-related diseases, mostly caused by overeating and lifestyle problems, than malnutrition. Quoting a WHO report at a roundtable yesterday, the experts said that one- third of global citizens were overweight, which means around 67 crore people are obese, and this is the source of many deadly diseases. One-fourth of the Bangladeshi population were suffering from obesity, they claimed. The experts said treatment of kidney patients in Bangladesh was very expensive. They demanded that the government should reduce the price of medicines and exempt taxes on imported machinery required for treatment of kidneys. The Kidney Awareness Monitoring and Prevention Society (KAMPS), a voluntary organisation, held the roundtable on Kidney Disease and Obesity: Healthy Lifestyle for Healthy Kidney at the Jatiya Press Club to mark World Kidney Day. Obesity is one of the most familiar 10 death risks. It is directly linked with kidney diseases. Being overweight directly harms nephrons and indirectly causes harm to the kidney through high blood pressure, diabetes and heart diseases, said Prof. MA Samad, head of department of kidney at Labaid Specialised Hospital. He also said obesity was the origin of many deadly diseases. In his keynote paper, Dr Samad, who is also chairman of the KAMPS, said about two crore people were suffering from kidney-related diseases. The cost of treatment of this disease is so high that at least 10 per cent of the patients cannot afford it. Most kidney patients in Bangladesh die without any treatment. Awareness can prevent nearly 50 to 60 per cent of kidney failure cases. For this, a sound lifestyle from early childhood is needed, he added. He also said that the risk of 68 per cent kidney-related diseases could be prevented only by lifestyle changes. He proposed regular walking, consumption of fruits and vegetables, keeping weight under control and avoiding smoking in this regard. Prof. Harun Ur Rashid, founder president of the Kidney Foundation, said there were only 96 dialysis centres in the country, where 18,000 patients could undergo dialysis twice a week. In private dialysis centres, the cost ranges from Tk. 3500 to Tk. 5000, which is beyond the affordability of the common people, he added. In South Asia only 15 per cent of kidney patients get an opportunity for dialysis, while others cannot afford it due to poverty, he said. Rezwana Hasan, executive director of BELA, Col (retd) Mir Motahar Hossain, chief adviser of ATN Bangla, Dr Mohibur Rahman, secretary general of the Bangladesh Renal Association, Dr Abdul Halim, Shaheen Reza Noor and cricketer Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu, among others, also spoke on the occasion.