Asola: Hubby dead, wife in 5th stage of renal disorder

Nagpur: Soon after Ganesh Chavan, 45, died of a kidney disorder, attracting the attention of district authorities, his wife Sunita has also been diagnosed with acute renal disorder. This had gone unnoticed till her husband died, and when diagnosed the disease has been found to be at an advanced stage, say her kin. This could make a case that Asola village in Yavatmal is a hotspot for kidney disease.Sunita was unwell for some days, even unable to eat, and her relatives took her to the doctor after arranging for money. The family has no more money to get her treated, say the relatives.

The blood reports shared with TOI show Sunita has very low haemoglobin level. Her serum creatinine is at 6.38 mg/dl as against a maximum normal range of 1.4, and the blood urea is at 117 mg/dl, while the normal range for urea is 15 to 45 mg/dl.Kidney specialist Dr Prashant Khetan, with whom TOI shared Sunita’s reports, said she is in the fifth stage, and if medicines don’t work she may have to go for dialysis or kidney transplant.Two deaths, including that of Chavan, have once gain turned the district administration’s focus on the village after 2018, when it first came into limelight. So far 23 persons have died of kidney failure in this village.Ajaysingh Rathore, a pathologist from the village who raised the issue, said since Sunita was not well they got her blood tested and she was found to be suffering from the same disease that here husband had.Sunita’s son Akash Chavan said, “We already have debt of Rs3 lakh, there is barely enough to have two square meals, leave aside getting my mother treated in a hospital.”Chavan’s death had led to a visit by the district health officials to the village. They asked general questions about the water conditions, said a villager. Ravi Aade, a relative of the Chavans, said he had got a phone call from the health department.Khetan says it has been his observation over 30 years of practice that kidney disorder is found more in persons of Banjara community, like the Chavans. Dr Dhanajay Ookhallkar, who had written a research paper, said even as the number of patients from the community are more, the reasons could not be finally ascertained.Lately, the disease has been found in others also. No known toxins that can harm the kidney were found in water samples tested at Neeri. There are chances that presence of pesticides and high dehydration due to hot climate may be affecting kidneys of the villagers, he said.
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