Nearly 1 in 14 adults in Telangana suffers from poor kidney function, study finds

According to a recent study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), almost one in every 14 people in Telangana suffers from poor kidney function.

Both Goa and Telangana top the list with the highest rate of poor kidney function in India at 7.4%. Telangana is followed by Kerala at 6.1%. Tamil Nadu has recorded a prevalence of 4.3%, Puducherry 4.2% and Andhra Pradesh 3%.

The overall prevalence of kidney dysfunction across India is 3.2 percent. The findings come from India’s largest kidney health assessment, which was conducted under the ICMR-IndiaB project and examined more than 25,000 adults across all 31 states and union territories.

The study found that people who have both high blood pressure (hypertension) and high blood sugar (diabetes) have about a six times higher risk of kidney damage than people without these conditions. 8.1% people have kidney failure.

“The presence of type 2 diabetes was associated with a significantly higher risk of IKF than hypertension alone; however, the risk was six times higher in individuals with both hypertension and type 2 diabetes,” the study said.

The study also reported that men are more prone to kidney damage, with 3.8% of men affected compared to 2.6% of women. The prevalence is similar in urban and rural areas.

Only 1.2% of people without diabetes or high blood pressure have kidney failure. Only those with high blood pressure are registered at 2.8%. Due to diabetes alone, this rate increases to 3.7%. However, the prevalence increases to 8.1% when both factors are present.

Telangana and Kerala top the list, while Chandigarh with 0.6% and Bihar with 0.8% report the lowest rates. Its prevalence is also high in West Bengal and Himachal Pradesh, above 4%.

Researchers say kidney failure is 12 times more common in Telangana than in Chandigarh. This may be due to differences in health care access, environmental exposure to harmful chemicals, and extreme weather conditions.