Importance Of Screening For Preventing Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease is a growing global health concern with over 1.1 million deaths reported worldwide from the disease. On this year’s World Kidney Day on 11 March, we look at the implications of chronic kidney disease on patients and their families.

People with chronic kidney disease usually may not feel sick or notice symptoms indicative of the disease. This World Kidney Day is an opportunity to bring awareness to this condition. Awareness is all the more important with the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, as people with chronic kidney disease who are infected with COVID-19 are at higher risk of serious illness.

Kidneys play an important role in the body, they filter wastes and excess fluids from the body, which are then excreted through urine. Chronic kidney disease describes the gradual loss of kidney function. When the disease reaches an advanced stage, dangerous levels of fluids, electrolytes and wastes can build up in your body.

The prevalence of chronic kidney disease in Arab countries is limited, but those countries have a high prevalence of risk factors for the condition. Among the risk factors that increase the chances of being inflicted with chronic kidney disease are diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity, all of which have a high incidence in the region.

According to Dr. Naim Issa, a transplant nephrologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, in the United States, diabetes, diabetes and hypertension are the two main causes of chronic kidney disease worldwide and in most Arab countries. Other risk factors include smoking, heart disease, a family history of the disease, older age and abnormal kidney structure. Smoking can damage the kidneys and worsen kidney damage.

Screening for the chronic conditions is essential, as is screening for chronic kidney disease in people with diabetes and high blood pressure, says Dr. Issa. Managing the chronic conditions can lower the risk of developing chronic kidney disease. Quitting smoking and losing weight also can help prevent kidney disease.

Dr. Issa adds, “In the Middle East and other hot weather areas, it is also important to drink enough water to help prevent kidney problems. Adults should aim for 2 to 3 liters of water a day to keep their kidneys healthy. It is important to foster a culture of good hydration among adults and children.”

Early stages of chronic kidney disease can have few symptoms. Later, symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue, sleep problems and changes in urine output. Sometimes people experience shortness of breath, swelling of the feet and ankles, muscle twitches and cramps, persistent itching and chest pain.

Treatment for chronic kidney disease focuses on slowing the progression of kidney damage. Some people with chronic kidney disease eventually need dialysis and preferably a kidney transplant.

Elaborating on recent transplant research, Dr. Issa says that it includes:

Living donor kidney transplant: A living-donor transplant is a surgical procedure to remove an organ or portion of an organ from a living person, and place it in another person whose organ is no longer working properly. Living-kidney donation is the most common transplant of this type.

Paired kidney donation: For paired kidney donation, donors and their recipients are not compatible for a transplant. However, the donor of each pair is compatible with the recipient of the other pair.

Markers in donor kidneys: Mayo Clinic researchers have found microstructural features that can indicate some long-term susceptibility for chronic kidney disease in otherwise healthy adults.

Features of living-donor kidneys: Mayo Clinic researchers have also discovered that subtle structural features in kidneys from living donors ― features that can only be seen with a microscope ― can predict the risk of transplant failure in recipients.

 

SOURCE  TIMESKUWAIT

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