Family Health: Dangerous kidney disease can sneak up on you

Family Health: Dangerous kidney disease can sneak up on you

By Staff Reports

Monday, October 15, 2007

What you should know

Your kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs. They are about waist level on each side of your spine on the backside of your body.

Your kidneys perform vital jobs. They remove excess waste, toxins and water from your body. Your kidneys create urine, which collects in your bladder. The kidneys help to keep the right level of salt, potassium and acid in your body.

Your kidneys also release important hormones that help regulate blood pressure, bone calcium and certain chemicals in your body. These hormones also stimulate the creation of red blood cells.

Some kidney problems are short-term. For example, kidney stones may finally pass and cause severe pain in your back or side. Infections can be treated with antibiotics. Prompt treatment can minimize damage.

You can have kidney damage and not know it. There could be no signs or symptoms of early kidney disease. Tests can spot kidney disease in its early stages. A blood test can check how well your kidneys filter waste from blood. A urine test can measure excess protein in urine.

In addition to available screening tests at a doctor's office, lab or hospital, the West Tennessee chapter of the National Kidney Foundation sponsors local screenings. The next free screening in Memphis will be at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. (For information call 683-6185.)

Chronic kidney disease can lead to kidney failure -- when the kidneys fail to do their job in cleaning blood. Kidney failure is called end stage renal disease (ESRD).

Diabetes and high blood pressure (hypertension) cause about 70 percent of the majority of new kidney failure cases. These health problems can usually be prevented or controlled through weight control and healthy living. Less often, kidney failure is due to genetic, immune or infection problems.

Obesity and high blood pressure have become more common among Mid-South children. An increasing number of our young people are now at risk for kidney disease and kidney failure.

Kidney failure is life-threatening. Immediate medical care is needed. A medical procedure called dialysis can substitute for working kidneys to filter waste from blood.

With hemodialysis, waste products and extra water are filtered from blood through a special needle, usually in the forearm. This is usually done at a dialysis center at least three times a week. It requires being stuck often with needles to draw and test blood. With peritoneal dialysis at home, a special fluid is put in the patient's abdomen and drained several times a day to remove wastes.

Hemodialysis isn't easy. About half of people die in their first two years on dialysis. But people who get dialysis 12 hours or more per week usually live longer and feel better. People can live 10 or more years on dialysis.

Some people with kidney failure are fortunate to get a kidney transplant. Kidney transplants can be hard to arrange. A healthy kidney is obtained from someone who died or from a living donor. Drugs are used to decrease the chances of the body rejecting the new kidney. Patients must strive to stay healthy to protect their donated kidney.

What you should do

Protect your kidneys by controlling your blood pressure and weight.

Drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated can reduce your chance of kidney stones and kidney infections.

Get your blood pressure checked at least once a year to find out if you have hypertension.

Check your blood pressure regularly if you have hypertension. Control your blood pressure every single day.

Take your medicine as prescribed if you have high blood pressure. Avoid too much salt in your diet.

Check your body mass index (BMI) to see if your weight is ideal for your height. Obesity can lead to diabetes and hypertension -- the leading causes of kidney failure. A healthy diet and daily exercise can help control weight.

Get a "fasting blood sugar test" to see if you have diabetes.

Get prompt treatment for urinary tract infections. Infections can spread to the kidneys and cause fever and pain.

Be careful with over-the-counter pain relievers. Long-term use of some drugs can harm your kidneys. Certain pesticides, toxins and "street" drugs such as crack can also cause kidney damage.

Watch for kidney disease symptoms. Signs might include high blood pressure, puffiness around the eyes, swollen hands and feet, frequent urination, very dark urine, blood in the urine, or difficulty or burning during urination.

If you have symptoms or if kidney disease runs in your family, get screened. Get blood and urine tests.

Get immediate and regular medical help for chronic kidney problems. Make sure that your health care provider is monitoring your blood pressure, how well your blood is filtered, and the protein in your urine.

Let your loved ones know if you wish to be an organ donor upon your death and sign the proper forms.

For more information

Go to Healthymemphis.org/links for web links to find out more about caring for your kidneys and kidney problems.

Family Health ... Take Charge! is provided by the Healthy Memphis Common Table: healthymemphis.org. This article supports the care and advice of your doctor. Talk to your care provider about any health condition or before starting new treatments.

Talk to the expert

We're hosting an online conversation this week with two experts on kidney care: Joanna Hudson, associate professor of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine and board president of the National Kidney Foundation of West Tennessee, and Mable Barringer, the foundation's executive director. Log onto commercialappeal-web.com/health/ with your question or comment about kidneys and kidney care. They will check the blog periodically and respond.

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