Youth associated with a kidney injury
Every 3 times a week, Ms. Ly Thi Dua (si Pha Phin commune) goes to the Department of Nephrology, Dien Bien General Hospital for dialysis. At the age of 26, when friends were focusing on their careers, Ms. Dua's world was caught up in the kidney chair, with the steady sound of the machines.
The illness came about unexpectedly when Ms. Dua was a 3rd year student at Tay Bac University. "When I discovered the disease, my symptoms were not obvious, I only felt tired and sometimes had difficulty breathing. When I had to go to the emergency room, the doctor concluded that I had kidney failure" - Ms. Dua said choking up.
From an active student, Ms. Dua's life is now limited to going in and out of the hospital and a reasonable diet.
Every day, at the Department of Nephrology, nearly 70 patients are divided into 3 shifts, each shift is 4 hours to keep their lives at the blood filtration machines. That circulation kept repeating, becoming an indispensable part.
Among the faces familiar with the "child" rotation, Mr. Lo Van Quyen (26 years old, Muong Pon commune) has been "supported" by a dialysis machine for 13 years.
Mr. Quyen said: "When I was only 13 years old, I discovered the disease. The family had to take him to Hanoi for treatment for 5 months and then transfer him to Dien Bien. Since then, my whole family's life has been completely turned upside down.
For more than a decade, the disease has taken away Mr. Quyen's childhood, health and opportunities. Every week, 3 times, regardless of the sun or rain, he has to be in the hospital.
For 13 consecutive years, he has not been able to do any job. Every day, every trip to the hospital, most of the time, there must be support from family members.
The economic burden has also weighed on the already difficult family shoulders. Although the cost of dialysis is largely covered by health insurance.
But for patients living far away like Ms. Dua, Mr. Quyen has to bear additional expenses such as: renting a small room near the hospital, living expenses, buying medicine outside the health insurance list...
Young people with kidney disease increase
Talking to Lao Dong, Doctor CK1 Dieu Van Dien - Department of Artificial Nephrology, Dien Bien General Hospital - said that the condition of patients with kidney failure, especially young people, is on the rise.
"If in 2014, the department managed and treated about 60 patients, then now the number has increased to 140 people. On average, the number of patients increases by about 10% each year," said Dr. Dien.
According to Dr. Dien, most of the cases come from underlying diseases such as: nephritis, high blood pressure, diabetes... Diseases related to drinking soft drinks, fast food or a late-night lifestyle of young people.
There are patients who live hundreds of kilometers away, and to get dialysis, they have to accept renting a room near the hospital. Many people have told me that they are ready to go home and wait to die... - Dr. Dien informed.
Doctor Dien believes that early detection of kidney disease is very difficult because the initial symptoms are often unclear, when patients come to the hospital, they are often in the final stages.
However, it is necessary to pay attention to signs such as fatigue, dizziness, sudden edema, pale skin, anemia, etc. In particular, regular health check-ups and checks are needed.
To prevent kidney disease, Dr. Dien said, you need to exercise regularly, have a suitable diet, eat a lot of green vegetables, drink enough water, and limit salty foods.
