Chennai: A year ago, a study by the directorate of public health and the Madras medical college showed at least 8.4% of Tamil Nadu’s adults suffered from stage 3 or higher chronic kidney disease, where damage was moderate to severe and the organ filtered waste poorly, causing symptoms like fatigue, swelling, or high blood pressure that could progress to kidney failure without treatment.Now, officials say the silent epidemic is straining state coffers. Under the chief minister’s comprehensive health insurance scheme, nephrology admissions surged from 2.06 lakh cases in 2022 to 2.98 lakh cases in 2025. “It’s not just an increase in numbers,” said Tamil Nadu health systems project director Dr S Vineeth. “In 2023, nearly 22.6% of admissions were for nephrology-related issues. Now, it touched 28%,” he said. Patients need frequent dialysis, often two or three times weekly, he said. This surge underscores a public health crisis, where affordable coverage boosted access but also highlights urgent need for better prevention amid rising cases.Payouts ballooned from 184 crore to 265 crore between 2022 and 2025, eclipsing cardiology and oncology as the costliest speciality. In 2022, 16 from every 100 was spent on treatment, including dialysis and renal transplant. In 2025, it accounted for 1/5 of the cost. Earlier this week, at the Sapiens Health Foundation event in Chennai marking World Kidney Day 2026, experts warned of environmental threats to kidney health, especially for at-risk workers like farmers and labourers. “Treating kidney disease is expensive. It sends several families into debt. While we must look at cost-effective ways to treat patients with kidney diseases, we must focus more on prevention,” said nephrologist Dr Rajan Ravichandran. “One of the easiest ways to do that is to cut salt consumption. We must limit it to 2.5g of sodium or less than 5mg of total salt in a day,” he said.Many people are unaware that high salt consumption can silently damage the kidneys over time, said Dr M Navinath, consultant nephrologist at Asian Institute of Nephrology and Urology (AINU), which launched a campaign against salt. “Kidney disease often advances without symptoms until late stages, so early screening is essential,” he said.Additional rising heat, water scarcity, pollution, and occupational exposures endanger kidneys, particularly for farmers, miners, construction workers, traffic police, vendors, and sanitation staff, said senior nephrologist Dr T Balasubramaniyan of Madras Medical College. Nearly half the patients who were a part of the study had kidney disease caused by an unknown reason, he said.
