Panaji, May 14 (IANS) It's a tourist haven known for merrymaking, but Goa is also seeing a rise in kidney-related ailments, especially among youth. So a web helpline for such patients may have come just in time.

The helpline, set up by the Goa Renal Support Association's (GRSA), caters to those wanting to treat their ailing kidneys or to transplant the organ.

Sandeep Helekar, convener of the GRSA, who has hosted website www.helpforkidneytransplant.com, said health experts and nephrologists based in Goa and Mumbai would also counsel patients wishing to undergo kidney transplants out of the state.

"This is a small step to help Goan patients who want to plan for kidney transplants. The rising cases of chronic kidney ailments will have devastating medical complications and economic as well as social implications," said Helekar.

He himself underwent a kidney transplant recently and claims that lack of information on the subject made the process an ordeal.

"When a kidney patient goes for a transplant, he has a lot of doubts in mind...They can speak to us. They can find out about donor compatibility, find out the exact formalities required to undergo the transplant processes, especially when you are travelling out of state for treatment," Helekar said.

Nephrologists based in Goa have hinted that kidney-related ailments are on the rise, especially among youth.

"We get four cases of young people requiring dialysis or a transplant a month. Half the patients have early diabetes symptoms and the rest have an inflammation of the kidney situation," said Shital Lengade, one of the leading nephrologists in the state, who works as a consultant at the Apollo-Victor hospital in Margao, 35 km from here.

According to J.P. Tiwari, professor of nephrology at the Goa Medical College (GMC), more than 200 people die due to renal and kidney failures annually, most of the deaths caused by late detection of the ailment.

"When kidney diseases are diagnosed early, failure can be contained," Tiwari said. "Kidney disease combined with diabetes is something which needs to be taken seriously. It's a bigger threat than even cardiac ailments or cancer," Tiwari said.

Helekar says early awareness and detection of kidney ailments could just help stem the ominous tide of kidney-related deaths in Goa.

"We hope that the helpline will help create awareness about early detection. The guidance from professionals from kidney specialists from Goa and Mumbai could help patients treat their diseases early," he said.