World Kidney Day and National Kidney Month - Do You Know How Well Your Kidneys Are Functioning?

Today is World Kidney Day and March is National Kidney Month. Did you know over 35 million people in the U.S. (1 in 7 adults) have chronic kidney disease? Chronic kidney disease is also known renal disease or CKD for short. 

One of the saddest situations I have seen in my nursing career is caring for patients who has no idea they have CKD. This is far too common as the CDC estimates approximately 9 in 10 adults with CKD don’t know they have it. 

The two main causes of CKD are diabetes and high blood pressure (also known as hypertension). 

If you have diabetes and, or hypertension,  it’s important to make the recommended lifestyle changes necessary to gain better control of your blood glucose and blood pressure. Ways to achieve this are: 

1. Exercising most days of the week (do what you love, make it fun!)
2. Eating a healthy diet.
3. Losing weight if you’re overweight or obese.
4. Getting quality sleep.
5. Reduce or avoid consuming alcohol and using  tobacco products.
6. Taking your prescribed medications.

Be your own advocate: 

• Make sure you know your lab numbers: GFR for kidneys and A1C for diabetes.
• Get the lab tests and exams recommended by your doctors and healthcare providers.
• Lead a healthy lifestyle to prevent or delay CKD and other complications from diabetes and hypertension from developing. 

Be Kind to Your Kidneys

The month of March is National Kidney Month. Today (March 14^th) is World Kidney Day. We cannot live without functioning kidneys. Our kidneys support many important functions in our bodies. Some people may think of kidney disease as only a problem for the elderly. However, kidney disease can strike at any age and from various causes.

It’s important to monitor the health of your kidneys by seeing your health care provider for a few simple tests (blood and urine) on a yearly basis.  Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) can be silent, meaning you can have it and not know it until a very late stage, once your kidney function has severely decreased.

Many things can damage your kidneys such as certain medications, high blood pressure (also known as hypertension), diabetes, cardiovascular disease, infections, trauma and some types of cancers. Of course, we cannot control something unforeseen that may damage the kidneys such as trauma from an accident or a metastatic cancer that’s incurable, however, we can control other factors that cause kidney disease as listed below.

Exercising daily and eating a healthy diet both go a long way in preventing chronic kidney disease. By doing these you’ll be on the right track to controlling your blood pressure, helping to prevent cardiovascular disease and diabetes.  All three of these diseases damage blood vessels. When the blood vessels to the kidneys become damaged, the kidneys cannot work properly. If kidney function drops severely, a patient needs dialysis to keep them alive.

Also, avoid prolonged use of NSAID drugs; medications such, but not limited to, ibuprofen and naproxen. These over the counter medications can damage the kidneys. There are prescription medications that also damage the kidneys, so become familiar with the side effects of any medications you’re on.  *Talk to your health care provider for any questions or concerns you have about your health.

Be kind to your kidneys and learn more about kidney health as part of your overall plan for health and longevity.