Renal Tubular Disease Treatment in India

Sai Malhotra, a 28-year-old software engineer,...

Sai Malhotra, a 28-year-old software engineer, had always been health-conscious. Over the past year, she experienced persistent, debilitating muscle weakness and frequent bone pain that made her daily commute and work at her desk agonizing. Routine bloodwork revealed alarmingly low potassium and phosphate levels, along with normal kidney function, creating a confusing clinical picture. Her primary care physician, suspecting a tubular issue, referred her to a nephrologist. The nephrologist diagnosed her with Fanconi syndrome, a type of renal tubular disease where the tubules fail to reabsorb essential nutrients. The recommended treatment was not a single procedure, but a lifelong regimen of high-dose potassium and phosphate supplements, along with sodium bicarbonate to correct accompanying acidosis. Initially, taking handfuls of pills multiple times a day was overwhelming. The emotional journey was one of frustration and fear, fear that her career and active life were over. However, within weeks of consistent treatment, her muscle strength returned and the bone pain subsided. Post-treatment, with diligent management, she leads a normal life, though she is always mindful of her condition. The outcome transformed her fear into empowerment; she now sees herself not as a patient, but as a person successfully managing a chronic condition, and has become an advocate for rare disease awareness.