On the occasion of World Kidney Day celebrated on March 9, the Chisinau dialysis center BB Dializa has launched a guidebook about the lifestyle that should be adopted by persons with renal insufficiency. In the launch, chairman of the Society of Urologists and Nephrologists of Moldova Adrian Tanase, who founded the dialysis service in Moldova, said this guidebook is the first of the kind issued in the country, IPN reports.
Adrian Tanase noted that not only doctors are responsible for the prevention or prophylaxis of kidney diseases, but also society, while the environment and lifestyle are very important in this process. “You cannot prevent a kidney disease with the doctor only. The whole society should contribute. That’s why we must do our best to diminish the rather high frequency of kidney diseases by information methods,” he stated.
According to the founder of the dialysis service in Moldova, there are nine dialysis sections in Moldova, including two private ones. BB Dializa was created based on a public-private partnership a year ago. When BB Dializa Center was opened, the number of patients included in the dialysis program increased. During a year, the center was visited by over 400 patients who benefitted from more than 33,000 dialysis procedures.
Adrian Tanase welcomed the resumption of the renal transplantation process. A number of 22 such operations were performed in Moldova last year. As many as 30 renal transplants were planned for this year.
Medical director of BB Dializa Petru Cepoida, co-author of the guidebook, said one in 6,000 Moldovans needs dialysis or receives treatment for renal insufficiency in another way. It is hard to detect the start of a kidney disease. The disease is often identified in terminal stages, when the renal functions need to be substituted. Three in five dialysis procedures in the country are performed at BB Dializa.
“The patient stays in the dialysis center for several hours a week. The rest of the time he is at home and should lead a healthy lifestyle. Of the eight leading factors that cause kidney diseases, five are modifiable, including by diet adjustments. Monthly examinations show only one third of the patients follow the recommended diet. One third of the patients are overweight and each sixth patient suffers from obesity,” stated Petru Cepoida, noting that most of the patients with renal insufficiency die because of cardiovascular diseases developed as a result of an unhealthy lifestyle.
Nutritionist Galina Tomas said only 20% of the products on shelves are healthy. After leading an unhealthy lifestyle, we pay in time with our own organs. Hydration is very important in healthy alimentation. We daily should drink a sufficient amount of water. It is also important to give up eating sugar, salt and processed products.
Maria Frunza, who has received dialysis treatment for over two years at BB Dializa, said it is hard for a person who is to enter dialysis to accept the reality and tries to delay this procedure. In the absence of skilled specialists, kidney diseases are often detected late and many persons diagnosed with terminal renal failure suffer from depression. The role of the family and psychologist is very important. The guidebook is also useful as it treats different aspects of the life of people who need dialysis.
