Checkups recommended to keep kidneys healthy

Checkups recommended to keep kidneys healthy
Submitted by
Heartland Home Health Care

March is National Kidney Month and Heartland Home Health Care and Hospice-Toledo is celebrating the month by raising the awareness of kidney disease.

Each year, 50,000 Americans die from kidney failure, 35,000 people wait on transplantation lists and an additional 260,000 patients use artificial kidney machines (dialysis) to survive.

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The National Kidney Foundation urges regular checkups that include tests for blood pressure, blood sugar, urine protein and kidney function, as kidney disease is often silent for many years, until it reaches an advanced stage.
Kidneys are bean-shaped organs, about the size of a fist. Every day, the kidney processes 200 quarts of blood and cleans your blood of toxins.

When the kidney begins to fail, the toxins build up. According to Michele Hrovat, RN, administrator at Heartland Home Health Care and Hospice-Toledo, "People in the early stages of kidney disease may not feel sick at all, or have general symptoms such as frequent headaches or feeling tired and itchy all over your body." As kidney disease progresses, you may see increased or decreased urine output, loss of appetite, nausea, generalized swelling and fatigue. Once kidney disease progresses, patients need dialysis or a kidney transplant, however, only a third of those on transplant lists receive a lifesaving transplant due to the lack of suitable organ donors.

Preventing kidney damage is important, because kidney disease cannot be cured. High blood pressure and diabetes are two of the main causes of kidney failure. By catching the disease early, you may be able to make your kidneys last longer by controlling your blood sugar and blood pressure, maintaining healthy levels of cholesterol and avoid pain pills that may make your kidney disease worse.

Six warning signs

of urinary tract disease:

# Burning or difficulty during urination

# More frequent urination, particularly at night

# Passage of bloody appearing urine

# Puffiness around eyes, swelling of hands and feet, especially in children

# Pain in small of back, just below the ribs (not aggravated by movement)

# High blood pressure