World Kidney Day 2014: 3 good reasons to get a kidney check up done

March 13 is the World Kidney Day 2014.

The status of chronic kidney disease (CKD) all over the world is quite alarming. As per the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Burden of Disease Project, kidney disease along with urinary tract problems account for nearly 850,000 deaths every year. The main reason for increasing incidence of kidney disease is the fact that people are not aware about the impact of unhealthy lifestyle and early diagnosis on their kidney health.

Increasing cases of kidney disease in youth:

There has been a rise in the number of younger people in their 20s showing up with Chronic Kidney Diseases (CKD), say doctors. Factors like obesity, consumption of oily food (leading to early onset of diabetes), consumption of protein-rich supplements for body building without medical advice and smoking are some reasons that have caused the rise in youth. Other reasons for early CKD include:

• Increased use of pain killers
• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• Genetic factors
• Immune disorders

Kidney disease is a silent killer

According to Dr Saurabh Pokhariyal, director, Nephrology and Renal Transplant, FMRI, 10% of the general population suffers from some form of renal impairment, which if not taken care of would eventually lead to a CKD, the prevalence of which is 1% in India. Kidney disease occurs gradually and is not noticed until the damage significantly reduces your kidney function. Therefore it is essential for you to get your kidney function assessed after you cross your 50S.  

‘Illness or injury prevents the blood-filtering units (nephrons) of the kidneys from functioning properly. When the kidneys lose their functionality, fluids, salts and waste can build up in the bloodstream. This is called kidney failure,’ explains Dr Salil Jain, senior consultant, Nephrology and Renal Transplant.

Early diagnosis can prevent the condition from progressing

Dr Jain highlights the need for awareness among people as well as the medical fraternity to detect the disease at an early stage. He explains, ‘The problem is attributed to poor lifestyle practices which increases the incidence of diabetes and high blood pressure and delay in getting regular health checks done.’ If you know the status of your kidney function, you can make lifestyle and dietary changes early and save you kidneys from deteriorating completely.

Here are 8 tests for checking if your kidneys are functioning fine.

Kidney problems do not develop overnight. Your kidney function naturally starts declining after you cross your 30s. And whether you will develop a kidney problem later in life is largely dependent on your lifestyle habits and diet. In most cases, kidney problems are caused as a result of a primary condition like diabetes, hypertension or high cholesterol levels. Because the symptoms of kidney diseases are not evident unless the kidneys are deteriorated to a great extent (to about 15 percent of their normal capacity), you should regularly screen your kidney function (especially if you suffer from heart disease and diabetes). Here are some kidney function tests that can determine whether you are at a risk of kidney disease. (Read about the 12 symptoms of kidney disease you shouldn’t ignore.)

1. Blood pressure: Your kidneys perform the function of filtering blood under pressure to eliminate waste products through the urine. If your blood pressure is higher than normal it will increase the load on your kidneys and may lead to kidney disease. Alternatively, a person is suffering from kidney disease is also likely to have high blood pressure. Read more about the medication for high blood pressure.

2. Blood creatinine test: Creatinine is a waste product that is produced by your muscles. It enters the bloodstream and is filtered by the kidneys to get excreted through the urine. A blood creatinine test will measure the amount of creatinine in your blood. A higher level (greater than 0.8-1.2 mg/dl in men and 0.6-0.9 mg/dl in women) may indicate that the kidneys are not functioning properly. 

3. Blood urea test: Urea is a waste product filtered by the kidneys and excreted through the urine. It is produced by breakdown of proteins. A high level of urea in the blood (greater than 20-40 mg/dL) may indicate altered kidneys function. 

4. Urinalysis: It is one of the recommended kidney function tests by the National Kidney Foundation (NKF). It is used to detect the presence of protein and blood cells (RBCs and WBCs) in the urine. Increased levels of both protein and blood cells indicate early signs of kidney disease. 

5. Urea clearance test: This test is based on a comparison between the amount of urea in the blood and the amount of urea in urine. If the urea clearance is lower than the normal range (64-99 ml/min), it may indicate that the kidneys are not working properly. 

6. Creatinine clearance test: A creatinine clearance test also compares the level of creatinine in blood with creatinine in urine to determine the rate at which the kidneys are filtering creatinine. Altered creatinine clearance range (normal range: 85-125 ml/min in men and 75-115 ml/min in women) indicates altered kidney function. 

7. eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate): Glomerular filtration rate is the rate at which your kidneys filter waste products from the blood. eGFR is a value that is derived from a formula based on the amount of blood creatinine, age and gender of the person. According to the NKF, eGFR is the best estimate of determining accurate kidney function. Normal eGFR results range from 90-120 mL/min/1.73 m2.

8. Renal ultrasound test: Renal ultrasound is an imaging test that uses high frequency ultrasonic waves to check the shape and size of the kidneys. It can detect the flow of blood to the kidneys as well as the presence of tumors, cysts and infection around the kidneys. It also helps to detect presence of kidney stones and external damage or injury to the kidneys. 

ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

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