World Kidney Day 2025: Why Kidney Diseases are Increasing in Young Adults - Dr Ruchi Samdani
Kidney diseases were once thought to be a health concern for the elderly, but today, an alarming number of young adults are being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) at an early age. The kidneys, often overlooked until a problem arises, play a critical role in maintaining overall health – filtering waste, balancing fluids and regulating blood pressure.
As we observe World kidney day, it's important to shed light on this rising epidemic. Aditya, a 20-year-old boy, initially mistook his symptoms of kidney failure as gastritis. His subsequent journey through dialysis and then kidney transplant has restored his health and given him the zeal to pursue medicine in the future.
A number of factors are responsible for kidney diseases in young adults like unhealthy lifestyle, undiagnosed or poorly managed diabetes and hypertension, excessive use of painkillers and over the counter medications, infections and autoimmune diseases, substance abuse and environmental pollutants and toxins to name a few.
The Lifestyle Maze
It is no secret that the lifestyle we all maintain is one of the major contributors to the onset of many diseases out of which renal failures are a big deal. Chronic work stress reduced physical activity and high intake of packaged food and fast food (loaded with salt and sugar) is responsible for metabolic syndrome - obesity, hypertension and diabetes.
Diabetes and Hypertension: The Double Trouble
As mentioned before, the lifestyle trap undoubtedly leads to Diabetes and Hypertension. The younger population is at the risk of developing these conditions, and before you know it, it significantly harms the kidneys which in most cases becomes irreversible.
Hypertension or High Blood pressure can damage and narrow the blood vessels, which eventually affects kidneys. Once these chronic illnesses are present, it is imperative that they be managed scientifically to prevent long term consequences of kidney disease.
Environment, Genetics and Medications
Apart from the lifestyle and medical conditions, young adults are also getting exposed to environmental pollutants which adversely affect kidneys. It can include water pollutants, contaminated food and soil as well as air pollutants that lead to inflammation, cell damage and acute kidney injury.
Genetics, however, is a different scenario. Young adults with a family history of kidney diseases are at an even higher risk, especially if they live an unhealthy lifestyle.
The genetic vulnerability and the external factors combine and damage the kidneys.
Medication misuse is another killer for kidneys. The unregulated medicated use, including painkillers, bodybuilding supplements and even herbal medicines consumed without guidance, is proven toxic to the kidneys. However, this factor can still be a preventable cause just by making people more aware of the risks associated with the over-the-counter drugs.
The challenge lies in the fact that young adults often undermine the importance of maintaining good kidney health. The alarming symptoms are brushed off as any other symptom which allows the progression of the disease, becoming irreversible. This phenomenon of young adults suffering from kidney diseases is not just a medical issue, but a lifestyle crisis which needs immediate attention.
Regularising health checkups and promoting healthy habits is where we can start to bring down the number of young adults who face kidney problems.
Dr Ruchi Gupta Samdani is a Consultant Nephrologist & Kidney Transplant Physician associated with Jaslok Hospital, Saifee Hospital, and Bhatia Hospital, Mumbai. She completed her MBBS from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, followed by a postgraduate residency in Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, USA. She then pursued a DNB in Nephrology at Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai, where she gained experience in kidney transplants (living donor, deceased donor, ABO-incompatible, and swap transplants), critical care nephrology, dialysis, and interventional procedures such as dialysis catheter placement and kidney biopsy. She is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and holds an FCCM (USA). Dr. Samdani has worked as a lecturer in nephrology at J.J. Hospital, Mumbai, and has held positions at Albert Einstein School of Medicine, Duke University (USA), and Umkal Hospital, Gurgaon. She has published research in journals such as the Saudi Journal of Kidney Disease and Transplantation and the Indian Journal of Nephrology and has presented her work at national conferences. She has also been involved in clinical trials, including the Belatacept trial in kidney transplantation. Her certifications include Advanced and Basic Cardiac Life Support (ACLS, BCLS) and training in critical care and pulmonary medicine.