What You should Know About Kidney Disease

What Do Kidneys Do For You?

One in nine American adults, about 20 million people, has chronic kidney disease. It is the ninth leading cause of death - more than 50,000 people die of kidney disease every year. With an aging population as well as an increase in the number of cases of diabetes and high blood pressure, kidney disease is getting more common. However, early diagnosis and treatment can help prevent kidney failure.

Your two kidneys keep your blood clean and chemically balanced. They also make hormones that grow the red blood cells in your bone marrow, help keep your bones strong and regulate your blood pressure.

Your kidneys filter about 200 quarts of blood every day. They retain what is necessary and remove waste and extra fluids from your body. The waste and water become urine.

Are You At Risk?

Do you have diabetes or high blood pressure? These two conditions cause about two thirds of all cases of kidney disease and are the most common causes.

There are also some risk factors you cannot control. If you are over 60 years of age, you may have a greater risk of kidney disease. African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians and Pacific Islanders also have a greater risk. Do you have a family history of kidney disease? This puts you at greater risk of getting kidney disease. And men have a higher risk than women of developing chronic kidney disease.

Kidney disease is also caused by other diseases such as lupus, polycystic kidney disease and inflammation of the kidneys, as well as an injury or poisoning. In addition, medication abuse can lead to kidney disease.

What Is Kidney Disease?

Most kidney diseases attack the filtering system of the kidneys. When the kidneys can no longer function, ridding your body of waste and maintaining proper fluid and chemical balances, you get sick. Because your kidneys are not functioning properly, you may also get weak, pale and tired because your body isn't making enough red blood cells. Many people have no symptoms in the early stages of kidney disease. It can take years for the damage to become noticeable.

Some symptoms of kidney disease include:

• Loss of appetite

• Weight loss

• Nausea and vomiting

• Urinating more or less often

• Swollen hands, feet, or belly

• Puffiness around your eyes

• Swelling and numbness of hands or feet

• Drowsiness and trouble concentrating

• High blood pressure

• Muscle cramps

To help diagnose your condition, your physician will probable do a variety of blood, urine and other tests to determine the extent of damage to your kidneys. Treatment may be as simple as making some changes to your diet, monitoring your blood sugar levels and controlling your blood pressure.

When you have only ten percent of your kidney function, you cannot live unless you get some help for your kidneys, such as dialysis, to help filter out the waste.

What Can You Do?

Early detection is a real key in treating kidney disease. During your routine physicals, ask your physician, if he/she does not do this already, to take your blood pressure, test your urine for a protein call albumin and test your blood for creatinine. Other preventive measures include:

• Maintain a healthy weight, which can also prevent other diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

• Maintain a blood pressure of less than 130 over 80 mm Hg.

• Keep your blood sugar as close to normal as possible if you have diabetes.

• Don't smoke. Smoking can lead to atherosclerosis, which reduces blood flow to the kidneys and increases blood pressure.

More Information

There are many online resources for information about kidney disease.

• webmd.com

• Blue Health Connection Audio Health Library on our web site under Blue Health Connection.

• The National Kidney Foundation, www.kidney.org

• www.kidshealth.org has information about kids and chronic kidney disease.

• The American Kidney Fund at www.kidneyfund.org provides some basics about kidney disease.

Written by Paula Spurway, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Originally appeared in the January 2006 issue of Straight Talk. Sources include Blue Health Connection (Cover Story March 14, 2005, Clinical Reference System, Urine), webmd.com (Chronic Kidney Disease), and the National Kidney Foundation (Important Facts About Diabetes and Kidney Disease).