AYURVEDIC MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC RENAL FAILURE: A CASE REPORT

Abstract

Chronic Renal Failure (CRF) is progressive loss in kidney function over a period of months or years. Current definition of CRF is the presence of kidney damage for a period greater than 3 months. An estimated or measured glomerular filtration rate of less than 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 is considered abnormal for all adults. In Ayurveda, chronic renal failure cannot be correlated directly to any disease. According to the principles, CRF is a disease of mūtravahasrotas. The signs and symptoms of CRF suggests aggravation mainly of vāta and kapha along with vitiation of multiple dūṣya (i.e. initially rasa, rakta, mūtra, udaka and later on all the dhātus and upadhātus). Multiple srotas (mainly rasavaha, udakavaha, mūtravaha and medavaha) involved in chronic renal failure. A 22yrs old male patient with a prior diagnosis of CRF was admitted in P. D. Patel Ayurveda Hospital, Nadiad. He was treated with nirūha basti of punarnavādi kvātha and nadisvedana (kaṭipradeśe) daily along with oral medicaments including varūnādi kvātha, īkşūmūla kvātha, gokṣurādī guggulu, rasāyana cūrṇa, bhūmyāmalakī cūrṇa. Serum creatinine and blood urea levels were also decreased. GFR level was increased and became 15/ml/min/1.73m2 which was 6/ml/min/1.73m2 before the treatment. This case report is presented here to share the encouraging results of Ayurvedic treatment in this particular patient of CRF.