Obese Teenagers Fall Victim to Kidney Disease

Obesity can put teenagers at a higher risk of deadly kidney diseases, researchers reveal.

A study by the Israel's Sheba Medical Centre examined the prevalence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) among teenagers and found obese youngsters having six and 19 times higher risks of developing the disease within 25 years, Daily Mail reported. ESRD is a total and permanent kidney failure. Dialysis and kidney transplant are the solutions.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, between 1980 and 2009, the rate of people affected with ESRD increased from 290 to 1,738 cases per million (nearly 600 percent).

Diabetes and high blood pressure are two common causes linked to the condition.

For the study, the researchers used medical records of 1.2 million youngsters aged 17. They found overweight (six times) and obesity (19 times) during teenage escalating the risks of developing this condition later.

"In this long-term nationwide population-based study, overweight and obesity at age 17 years were strongly and positively associated with the incidence of future treated ESRD, although the absolute risk for ESRD remains low," Daily Mail quoted Dr. Asaf Vivante.

The study also found an association between high body mass index (BMI) and non-diabetic ESRD. According to health experts, findings bring in both concerns and hope.

"The good news is that obesity represents a potentially modifiable risk factor, and control of weight and the hypertension and inactivity that often accompany excess adiposity could prevent or slow the development of some cases of ESRD and may potentially reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with chronic kidney disease," Dr. Kirsten Johansen of the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center told Daily Mail.

"The bad news is that it is not easy to address obesity."

Results of the study have been published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

Obesity is one of the severe problems faced by American teenagers. A body mass index above 30 is considered to be obese. According to American Obesity Association, about 30.4 percent of teenagers are overweight and 15.5 percent of teens are obese.