International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056 Volume: 08 Issue: 06 | June 2021 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072 © 2021, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 7.529 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 4584 Prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease and Hemodialysis Related Problems for Patients in India Richa Bhujbal 1 , Arunkumar Ram 2 1 B.E., Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, Vidyalankar Institute of Technology, Mumbai, India 2 Asst. Professor, Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, Vidyalankar Institute of Technology, Mumbai, India -------------------------------------------------------------------------***------------------------------------------------------------------------ Abstract - A health condition as prevalent and common as Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) would be expected to be known about by the general population, or at least for people to possess its basic information. However, a majority of the Indian population has limited information about CKD, its symptoms and risk factors. Evidently, there is a myriad of technological advancements and betterment in the standard of care that can be offered to future patients of renal diseases who are struggling with a possibly life-long and fatal disease. This research paper aims at narrowing the gap between the obvious problems that can be eradicated by simply being educated about the disease’s early symptoms. Furthermore, it discusses approaches to enhance facilities for an improved patient care. It also presents observations from survey conducted for patients undergoing dialysis, staff of the facility, and doctors. Through this, it signifies the prevalent probable causes of CKD, defaults in diagnosis or current treatment, the lifestyle of patients and issues faced by them and their family members. Key words: hemodialysis, kidney, CKD, kidney disease, dialysis, nephrology 1. INTRODUCTION The current standard of care in an overpopulated country such as India, the data, knowledge, and resources of CKD is outdated as compared to the development in biomedical sciences and instrumentation. Hence, it is important to conduct expansive findings in all precincts of renal diseases and fabricate solutions that are pre-eminently accessible and comprehensible by patients of all age groups and intellect. It is also essential for all these resources to be customised for a wider percentage of population of India in terms of cost, availability, and ease of usage. Patients undergoing dialysis in India face several different challenges which range from primitive diagnosis of the onset of kidney disease by healthcare providers to availability of dialysis machines for Hepatitis and HIV positive patients. The aim of this research is to survey CKD patients and identify major problems; and to study prospective solutions for overcoming these challenges. Along with this, it makes an effort at spreading awareness regarding the disease and its diagnosis among patients and citizens of all categories of age, medical history, and levels of literacy, while making the prevalent causes of this fatal disease known to a wider amount of population, which also includes doctors and other health care providers. The study ..goes .on to .discuss ..how crucial it is to spread awareness and discusses cases of failure which have led to worsening of a patient’s kidney disease for prolonged periods of time. For this purpose, first-hand data collected from dialysis centres in Mumbai, India, run by Apex Kidney Care, can prove to be extremely helpful. 2. OVERVIEW Chronic kidney disease is defined as the onset of kidney damage or an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < than 60 ml/min/1.73 mt 2 , persisting for 3 months or more, irrespective of the cause. It is a state of progressive decay in kidney functionality which ultimately results in the need for renal replacement (dialysis or transplant). Kidney damage refers to pathologic abnormalities either suggested by imaging studies or renal biopsy, abnormalities in urinary sediment, or increased urinary albumin excretion rates [1]. Kidney diseases occur when the kidneys are damaged and hence unable to perform their functions. Damage may be caused by diabetes, High Blood Pressure (HTN), and various other chronic (long-term) conditions. Kidney disease can lead to other health problems, including anaemia, weak bones, nerve damage, and malnutrition [2]. CKD usually takes a long time to develop and is a progressive disease. In CKD, the kidneys continue to work, just not as well as they should. Wastes may build up so gradually that the body becomes used to having those wastes in the blood. Salts containing phosphorus and potassium could rise to unsafe levels, leading to heart and bone problems. Anaemia which is low red blood cell count can result from CKD because the kidneys stop making enough erythropoietin, a hormone that causes bone marrow to make red blood cells. After months or years, CKD may progress to permanent kidney failure, which requires a person to undergo kidney transplant or blood filtering treatment called dialysis regularly [3]. 2.1 CKD Measurements The measurement of accurate renal function is vital for the routine care of patients. Determining the renal function status can predict kidney disease progression and prevent toxic drug levels in the body. The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) indicates the flow rate of filtered fluid through the kidneys. Alternatively, the biochemical marker creatinine found in serum and urine is usually used to estimate GFR. Creatinine clearance (CrCl) is the volume of blood plasma cleared of creatinine per unit time. It is a fast and inexpensive method for the measurement of renal function. Both CrCl and GFR can be measured using the relative values of creatinine in blood and urine. Persistently, high