A person can lose up to 90% of their Kidney Function before experiencing any symptoms
A person can lose up to 90% of their Kidney Function before experiencing any symptoms
Commemorating the World Kidney Day 2023
Tune in to this World Kidney Day (9th of March 2023) Podcast https://audio.com/rethinkindia/kidneyaarogyata
to ensure your #KidneyAarogyata.
Did You Know?
Your Kidneys:
Make urine
Remove wastes and extra fluid from your blood
Control your body’s chemical balance
Help control your blood pressure
Help keep your bones healthy
Help you make red blood cells
Your Amazing Kidneys
The kidneys are complicated and amazing organs
that do many essential tasks to keep us healthy.
The main job of your kidneys is to
remove toxins and excess water from your blood.
Kidneys also help
to control your blood pressure,
to produce red blood cells and
to keep your bones healthy.
Each roughly the size of your fist,
kidneys are located deep in the abdomen, beneath the rib cage.
Your kidneys control blood stream levels of many minerals and molecules
including sodium and potassium, and help to control blood acidity.
Every day your kidneys carefully control the salt and water
in your body so that your blood pressure remains the same.
Are you at risk of a KIDNEY DISEASE?
Do you have high blood pressure?
Do you suffer from diabetes?
Do you have a family history of kidney disease?
Are you overweight?
Do you smoke?
Are you over 50 years?
Are you of African, Hispanic, Aboriginal or Asian origin?
If you have answered yes to one or more of these questions, you should discuss with your doctor, you may need testing for kidney disease!
Early Chronic Kidney Disease
has no sign or symptoms
You can help delay or prevent kidney failure by treating kidney disease early.
Did you know?
A person can lose up to 90% of their kidney function before experiencing any symptoms.
Symptoms
Most people have no symptoms until CKD is advanced.
Signs of advancing CKD include
swollen ankles,
fatigue,
difficulty concentrating,
decreased appetite,
blood in the urine and
foamy urine.
Detection of Kidney Disease
The majority of individuals with early stages of CKD go undiagnosed.
On WKD we are calling on everyone to check if they are at risk for kidney disease and encouraging people with any risk factors to take a simple kidney function test.
Kidney disease usually progresses silently, often destroying most of the kidney function before causing any symptoms.
The early detection of failing kidney function is crucial because it allows suitable treatment before irreversible kidney damage or deterioration manifests itself through other complications.
Simple laboratory tests are done on small samples of blood (to measure creatinine content and estimate GFR) and on urine (to measure creatinine and albumin excretion).
Your doctor uses the results of your Serum Creatinine measured in the blood to estimate your overall kidney function, or Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) and your blood sugar to be sure you do not have diabetes.
A simple “dipstick” test may be used to detect excess protein in the urine.
Serum Creatinine: Creatinine is a waste product in your blood that comes from muscle activity. It is normally removed from your blood by your kidneys, but when kidney function is reduced, the creatinine level rises. Your doctor can use the results of your serum creatinine test to calculate your GFR, which reflects how well your kidney is functioning.
Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR): Your GFR tells how much total kidney function you have. It may be estimated from your blood level of creatinine. Normal is about 100 ml/min, so lower values indicate the percentage of normal kidney function which you have. If your GFR falls below 60 ml/min you will usually need to see a kidney disease specialist (called a nephrologist), If the treatment you receive from the nephrologist does not prevent a further reduction in GFR, your nephrologist will speak to you about treatments for kidney failure you might need later like dialysis or kidney transplant. A GFR below 15 indicates that you may need to start one of these treatments soon.
Urine albumin. The presence of excess protein in the urine is also a marker of CKD and is a better indicator of the risk for progression and for premature heart attacks and strokes than GFR alone. Excess protein in the urine can be screened for by placing a small plastic strip embedded with chemicals that change color when protein is present (urine dipstick) into a fresh urine specimen or can be measured more accurately with a laboratory test on the urine.
Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio. A urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) on a spot urine specimen is a laboratory test to measure and monitor urine albumin. UACR is a ratio between two measured substances – albumin and creatinine – in the urine. UACR is usually expressed as mg albumin/g creatinine and estimates 24-hour urine albumin excretion. UACR is unaffected by variations in urine concentration and is therefore more accurate than a dipstick.
Albuminuria is diagnosed when UACR is greater than 30 mg/g and is a sign of CKD.
8 Golden Rules of Prevention
Kidney diseases are silent killers, which will largely affect your quality of life.
There are however several easy ways to reduce the risk of developing kidney disease.
Check out the 8 Golden Rules!
What can you do for your kidneys?
Kidney diseases are silent killers, which can largely affect your quality of life. There are several ways to reduce the risk of developing kidney disease.
1. Keep Fit, Be Active
This can help to maintain an ideal body weight, reduce your blood pressure and the risk of Chronic Kidney Disease.
The concept “On the move for kidney health” is a worldwide collective march involving the public, celebrities and professionals moving across a public area by walking, running and cycling. Why not join them – by whatever means you prefer!
2. Eat a Healthy Diet
This can help to maintain an ideal body weight, reduce your blood pressure, prevent diabetes, heart disease and other conditions associated with Chronic Kidney Disease.
Reduce your salt intake. The recommended sodium intake is 5-6 grams of salt per day. This includes the salt already in your foods (around a teaspoon).
To reduce your salt intake, try and limit the amount of processed and restaurant food and do not add salt to food.
It will be easier to control your salt intake if you prepare the food yourself with fresh ingredients.
3. Check & Control your Blood Sugar
About half of people who have diabetes do not know they have diabetes.
Therefore, you need to check your blood sugar level as part of your general body checkup. This is especially important for those who are approaching middle age or older.
About half of people who have diabetes develop kidney damage; but this can be prevented/ limited if the diabetes is well controlled.
Check your kidney function regularly with blood and urine tests.
4. Check & Control your Blood Pressure
About half of people who have high blood pressure do not know they have high blood pressure.
Therefore, you need to check your blood pressure as part of your general body checkup. This is especially important for those who are approaching middle age or older.
High blood pressure can damage your kidneys. This is especially likely when associated with other factors like diabetes, high cholesterol and Cardio-Vascular Diseases.
The risk can be reduced with good control of blood pressure.
Normal adult blood pressure level is 120/80. Hypertension is diagnosed if, when measured on two different days, the systolic blood pressure readings on both days is ≥140 mmHg and/or the diastolic blood pressure readings on both days is ≥90 mmHg (WHO).
If your blood pressure is persistently elevated above the normal range (especially if you are a young person), you should consult your doctor to discuss the risks, the need for lifestyle modification and medication treatment.
The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology revised the guidelines for high blood pressure (2017) and suggested that high blood pressure should be treated earlier with lifestyle changes and medication at 130/80 mm Hg rather than 140/90 mm Hg.
However, not all health organizations around the world have adopted this recommendation. Best to consult your doctor.
5. Take appropriate Fluid Intake
The right level of fluid intake for any individual depends on many factors including exercise, climate, health conditions, pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Normally this means 8 cups, approximately 2 liters per day for a healthy person in a comfortable climate condition.
This needs to be adjusted when in severe climate condition.
Your fluid intake may need to be adjusted if you have kidney or heart or liver disease.
Consult your doctor on the appropriate fluid intake for your condition.
6. Don’t SMOKE
Smoking slows the flow of blood to the kidneys.
When less blood reaches the kidneys, it can decrease their ability to function normally.
Smoking also increases the risk of kidney Cancer by about 50 per cent.
7. Don’t take Over-the-Counter
Anti-Inflammatory/Pain-Killer pills regularly
Common drugs such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDS)/pain-killer (e.g. drugs like ibuprofen) can harm the kidneys if taken regularly.
If you have kidney disease or decreased kidney function,
taking just a few doses can do harm to your kidneys.
If in doubt, check with your doctor or pharmacist.
8. Get your Kidney Function Checked
if you have one or more of the ‘high risk’ factors
you have diabetes
you have hypertension
you are obese
you have a family history of kidney disease
Secondary Prevention – Slowing Disease Progression:
Key preventive measures have been defined and proven successful in those with early stages of CKD as secondary prevention measures, which help slow disease progression and protect against both kidney and cardiovascular disease, such as:
Reduction of high blood pressure -the lower the blood pressure (within the normal range), the slower the GFR decline
Specific medications to reduce proteinuria as well as lower blood pressure – angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs)
Reduce salt intake to lower blood pressure
Control of glucose, blood lipids and anemia
Smoking cessation
Increase of physical activity
Control of body weight
Treatment: Clinical research over the last two decades has shown the potential benefit of blockade of the renin-angiotensin system by medicines known as ACE inhibitors and ARBs. This can significantly delay the progression of CKD, especially in people with diabetes and hypertension at relatively low cost.
What should you ask your Doctor?
Here are some key questions that you can ask your doctor:
What is my GFR?
What is my urine albumin result?
What is my blood pressure?
What is my blood glucose (for people with diabetes)?
Other important questions:
What happens if I have kidney disease?
What should I do to keep my kidneys healthy?
Do I need to be taking different medicines?
Should I be more physically active?
What kind of physical activity can I do?
What can I eat?
Do I need to talk with a dietitian to get help with meal planning?
Should I be taking ACE inhibitors or ARBs for my kidneys?
How often should I get my kidneys checked?