Ahmedabad schools to conduct screening for kidney-related diseases

The Pediatric Nephrology Department of the kidney hospital (IKDRC) at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital has launched a pilot school screening project to detect kidney-related diseases in children. As part of this initiative, students aged 12 to 14 years in Ahmedabad schools will undergo screening. In the initial phase, around 1,800 students will be screened directly in schools.

A team of doctors from the Pediatric Nephrology Department will visit the schools to conduct these screenings.

This pilot project aims to identify kidney issues in children at an early stage. The screening will cover students from government, grant-in-aid, and private schools in Ahmedabad. Initially, the goal is to screen 1,800 children aged between 12 and 14 years.

Under the leadership of the department’s principal investigator and three other doctors, students will be assessed for height, weight, and undergo a dipstick urine test.

For the dipstick screening, a small urine sample will be collected in a container, and a stick will be dipped into the sample for 30 seconds to check for the presence of germs or bacteria. This will help determine whether the child shows any signs of kidney-related diseases.

If any symptoms or abnormalities are detected in the primary screening such as bacteria, infection, or any suspicious signs parents and students will be advised to visit the hospital for further evaluation. In addition to the medical tests, students will be asked questions related to their toilet habits and water intake as part of the initial assessment.

Approval for this screening project has been obtained from the District Education Officer (DEO), and circulars have been issued to the schools accordingly.

Based on the outcomes and success of this pilot school screening project, further plans will be considered for expanding the screening to include more and younger children.

Dr Pranjal Modi, Director of the Kidney Hospital, stated that the prevalence of kidney diseases is rising, even among young children. Conditions such as kidney stones, blocked kidney valves, having only one kidney, or a non-functional kidney are becoming increasingly common. Kidney diseases are observed in around 20% of children out of every 10 million. Hence, early-stage screening is extremely important.