PETALING JAYA, Thurs For a mere RM2, you can find out if you
have symptoms of kidney disease.
The National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia (NKF) is offering health
screening services at its 19 dialysis centres from Feb 19.
The public can have the tests done on the first and third Sunday.
In the east coast States, it will be done every alternate Friday,
from 8am to noon.
NKF board of managers chairman Dr S.S. Gill said today: "It is
advisable to do a health screening as many people are unaware that
their kidneys are damaged until they have a medical
examination."
There are over 12,000 people on dialysis at 320 haemodialysis
centres nationwide.
According to Dr Gill, each year, an additional 2,500 Malaysians
require haemodialysis treatment or face death unless they undergo a
kidney transplant.
NKF vice-chairman Datuk Dr Zaki Morad Zaher, who is also the Health
Ministrys consultant nephrologist, said diabetes mellitus and
hypertension were now the leading causes of kidney failure in the
country.
"One-third of diabetics will develop kidney disease," he said at
the launch of the health-screening campaign at NKF
headquarters.
He said kidney stones and urinary tract infections could also lead
to kidney failure. Another factor is family history.
"The number of Malaysians suffering from end-stage renal failure
increased more than 56-fold between 1980 and now from 43 in 1980
to 12,000," he added.