Top 10 Reasons to Love Your Kidneys

Top 10 Reasons to Love Your Kidneys


Sometimes the more you know, the more you love. The National Kidney Foundation urges Americans to get to know two humble, hardworking organs: the kidneys. To help raise awareness and appreciation for all the vital functions the kidneys perform, the National Kidney Foundation offers 10 reasons for Americans to love their kidneys and take steps now to preserve kidney health:


1. Filter 200 liters of blood a day, removing two liters of toxins, wastes and water



2. Regulate the body’s water balance



3. Regulate blood pressure by controlling fluid levels and making the hormone that causes blood vessels to constrict



4. Support healthy bones and tissues by producing the active form of vitamin D



5. Produce the hormone that stimulates bone marrow to manufacture red blood cells



6. Keep blood minerals in balance



7. Keep electrolytes in balance



8. Regulate blood acid levels



9. Remove drugs from the blood



10. Retrieve essential nutrients so that the body can reabsorb them



The National Kidney Foundations urges all Americans to love their kidneys. To learn more about CKD risk factors, prevention and treatment, visit www.kidney.org.

Six Step Primer to Kidney Health

National Kidney Foundation Offers Six–Step Health Primer, Announces Free Screenings on 

World Kidney Day, March 11

Most Americans know that heart disease and cancer can be silent killers and understand that monitoring blood pressure and cholesterol and having regular mammograms are critical to protecting their health. Too few adults—and not enough doctors—realize, however, that chronic kidney disease (CKD) is another common, life—threatening illness that often goes undetected until very advanced when it could be diagnosed early through simple tests.
Recent studies report that 26 million Americans suffer from CKD and millions more are at risk. Worse, today’s epidemics of diabetes and obesity could contribute to even higher rates of CKD in the future. Undiagnosed and untreated, CKD can lead to serious health problems including kidney failure (end-stage renal disease). Caught early, it can often be managed, and kidney damage can be slowed or stopped. That’s why early testing for people at risk is so important.
In preparation for National Kidney Month (March 2010) and World Kidney Day (March 11), the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) offers this 6-step primer for protecting health.

Step 1: Know These Facts

6 Things Healthy Kidneys Do:
    •    Regulate the body’s fluid levels
    •    Filter wastes and toxins from the blood
    •    Release a hormone that regulates blood pressure
    •    Activate Vitamin D to maintain healthy bones
    •    Release the hormone that directs production of red blood cells
    •    Keep blood minerals in balance (sodium, phosphorus, potassium)
8 Problems CKD Can Cause:
    •    Cardiovascular disease
    •    Heart attack and stroke
    •    High blood pressure
    •    Death
    •    Weak bones
    •    Nerve damage (neuropathy)
    •    Kidney failure (end-stage renal disease, or ESRD)
    •    Anemia or low red blood cell count

Step 2: Assess Your Risk

4 Main Risk Factors:
--Diabetes (self or family)
--High blood pressure (self or family)
--Cardiovascular disease (self or family)
--Family history of kidney disease or diabetes or high blood pressure
 
I obviously don't know my family history but I had NONE of the above risks (that I was aware of)

10 Additional Risk Factors:
    •    African-American heritage
    •    Native American heritage
    •    Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander heritage
    •    Age 60 or older
    •    Obesity
    •    Low birth weight
    •    Prolonged use of NSAIDs, a type of painkillers, such as ibuprofen and naproxen
    •    Lupus, other autoimmune disorders
    •    Chronic urinary tract infections
    •    Kidney stones
The only risk factors I had out of this group were autoimmune diseases.  I have low thyroid and endometriosis.  I had used Naproxen on a regular basis to ease the pain of endometriosis but it was determined that wasn't a factor in my type of kidney disease.

Step 3: Recognize Symptoms
Most people with early CKD have no symptoms, which is why early testing is critical. By the time symptoms appear, CKD may be advanced, and symptoms can be misleading. Pay attention to these:
8 Possible Trouble Signs:
    •    Fatigue, weakness
    •    Difficult, painful urination
    •    Foamy urine
    •    Pink, dark urine (blood in urine)
    •    Puffy eyes
    •    Swollen face, hands, abdomen, ankles, feet
    •    Increased thirst
    •    Increased need to urinate
(especially at night)

Looking back, I realize I had most of these symptoms.  Hind sight is 20/20.


Step 4: Get Tested

If you or a loved one belong to a high-risk group, ask your primary-care physician about these tests—and be especially insistent about the last one. Your doctor may want to perform other tests as well.
4 Simple, Life-Saving Tests:
Blood Pressure
High blood pressure can damage small blood vessels (glomeruli) in the kidneys. It is the second-leading cause of kidney failure after diabetes.
Below 140/90 is good for most people. Below 130/80 is better if you have chronic kidney disease. Below 120/80 is best.
Protein in Urine
Traces of a type of protein, albumin in urine (albuminuria) is an early sign of CKD. Persistent amounts of albumin and other proteins in the urine (proteinuria) indicate kidney damage.
Less than 30 mg of albumin per gram of urinary creatinine (a normal waste product)
Creatinine in Blood (Serum Creatinine)
Healthy kidneys filter creatinine (a waste product from muscle activity) out of the blood. When kidney function is reduced, creatinine levels rise.
0.6 to 1.2 mg per deciliter of blood, depending on other variables
Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR)
This is the most sensitive and accurate gauge of kidney function. Doctors measure blood creatinine levels and perform a calculation based on age, race, and gender.
Over 90 is good. 60-89 should be monitored. Less than 60 for 3 months indicates CKD.

Step 5: Stay Healthy

6 Things People with CKD Should Do:
    •    Lower high blood pressure
    •    Keep blood-sugar levels under control if diabetic
    •    Reduce salt intake
    •    Avoid NSAIDs, a type of painkillers
    •    Moderate protein consumption
    •    Get an annual flu shot

9 Things Everyone Should Do:
    •    Exercise regularly
    •    Control weight
    •    Follow a balanced diet
    •    Quit smoking
    •    Drink only in moderation
    •    Stay hydrated
    •    Monitor cholesterol levels
    •    Get an annual physical
    •    Know your family medical history

Step 6: Learn More

    •    The National Kidney Foundation will offer free kidney screenings through its Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP) for people at risk for CKD in at least 20 cities across the country on World Kidney Day, March 11. For locations and schedules, visit www.keeponline.org.
    •    To learn more about CKD risk factors, prevention and treatment, visit www.kidney.org.
To learn more about chronic kidney disease, risk factors or to find a free KEEP screening in your area contact the National Kidney Foundation at www.kidney.org or (800)622-9010.

Top 5 Kidney-Related Myths and Misconceptions

Overlooked, overworked and misunderstood. Your wife? No, actually, it’s your kidneys we’re talking about. They’re on call 24/7 filtering toxins from your body, regulating fluids and blood pressure. Yet, most people don’t know where they are, let alone what they or what the warnings signs and risk factors are for kidney disease. Dr. Leslie Spry, National Kidney Foundation spokesperson, sets the record straight on some common kidney-related misconceptions.

1. I have back pain so it must be my kidneys. Pain in the back may come from kidney disease if you have infection or blockage of the kidneys. Other forms of kidney disease rarely cause pain in the back. The most common cause of back pain is disease of the muscles or spine and not kidney disease. The kidney can only feel pain if the covering of the kidney (called the capsule) is stretched. This means swelling of the kidney from either infection or blockage of urine flow (such as a kidney stone) will result in pain that typically radiates from the flank and may come around the side to cause pain down into the groin area.

2. I don’t have any trouble passing my urine so my kidneys must be fine. Even patients who are on dialysis make urine most every day. Damaged kidneys will continue to make urine even if they no longer properly clean your blood. Kidney disease can be completely without symptoms. The only way you can tell if you have kidney disease is to have blood and urine testing as recommended by the National Kidney Foundation.

3. As I age, it is normal for my blood pressure to be higher. While it is true that blood pressure gradually increases with age, many elderly patients still have a normal blood pressure. Normal blood pressure is still 120/80 at any age and if your blood pressure is elevated, you should be evaluated by your physician. Studies have continued to show a benefit of treating even very elderly patients for high blood pressure. High blood pressure is the second most common cause of kidney disease and is the most common cause of kidney disease in the elderly.

4. I can feel my blood sugar and regulate it on the basis of how I feel. Unfortunately, the longer you have diabetes the less likely this is true. Diabetes is the most common cause of kidney disease and patients with chronic kidney disease develop two complications related to diabetes. They are less likely to notice changes in blood sugar the way they used to. This is because diabetes gradually injures the body nerves in exactly the same way as it does the kidney. Hence your ability to “feel” your blood sugar is lost as one develops progressive kidney disease. Second, the kidney helps to break down insulin in the body. As kidney function is lost, insulin tends to last longer in the body. Loss of kidney function can result in very low blood sugars for prolonged periods of time as the insulin lasts longer and longer in the body.

5. If my blood pressure is normal, I don’t need to take my blood pressure pills. Patients with kidney disease need to maintain a normal blood pressure and the use of specific blood pressure agents such as ACE-inhibitors and ARB agents help to protect the kidney against damage. So, in addition to maintaining control of the blood pressure, these agents are kidney-protective and should be taken as prescribed by your doctor.