The importance of early detection when treating kidney disease
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in ten individuals in the United States have some form of chronic kidney disease. The disease is growing among people aged 60 and older. In many cases, you can lose a significant amount of your kidney function before you even experience any signs or symptoms. Chronic kidney disease can eventually progress to kidney failure.
Chronic kidney disease is a growing clinical problem and an organizational and economic concern since it consumes a huge part of our health care resources.
The first step to delay or prevent kidney disease related life-threatening issues is to recognize what causes the disease. In the same vein, getting yearly screenings is essential. People who suffer with this disease often don’t show any early signs, and often go undiagnosed and untreated.
Risk Factors for Chronic Kidney Disease
There are several risk factors you face for developing this disease. They include hypertension, diabetes, genetic disorders (like autoimmune diseases or polycystic disease), trauma to the kidneys, and more.
Certain behaviors can be a risk factor like using illicit drugs, smoking and taking large amounts of non-steroidal arthritis medications.
Interventions for Chronic Kidney Disease
Preventing kidney disease is important because once diagnosed, patients may need to undergo time-consuming dialysis treatment.
There are several interventions available that can delay or prevent chronic kidney disease from developing. These include:
- Correction of anemia and calcium-phosphate disorders
- Low-protein diets
- Quitting smoking
- Proteinuria and blood pressure control
If your general practitioner suspects you have kidney problems, you should be referred to a specialist for a consultation. Patients are often not referred right away to a specialists and this results in their kidney problems becoming chronic.
A specialist like a urologist can recommend several different treatment options. Often laparoscopic simple nephrectomy is the best treatment option if a poorly functioning kidney causes problems such as persistent pain, kidney infections, and high blood pressure (both a potential cause and result of kidney disease).
The key to managing chronic kidney disease is to get an early diagnosis and be referred to a specialist immediately. This will enable you to take immediate preventative measures to delay or stop your progression of the disease and increase your chances of surviving it and living a healthy life.
If you would like to learn more about screening for early detection of kidney disease, make an appointment today.
