March is National Kidney Month

Are You At Increased Risk for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)? How do you know?

Your doctor or clinic should check to see if you have any risk factors for chronic kidney disease. These include:

• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Family history of chronic kidney disease
• Older age

Chronic kidney disease is also more common in African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asians, Pacific Islanders, and American Indians.

Why are African Americans and other ethnic groups at increased risk for chronic kidney disease?

Diabetes, the leading cause of chronic kidney disease, is more common in these groups. Also, high blood pressure, the second leading cause of chronic kidney disease, appears more often in African Americans than in other ethnic groups. Many experts believe these groups may have an inherited tendency to develop these diseases. When combined with other things, such as being overweight, this tendency may lead to disease. Staying at a normal weight and getting enough exercise is very important for these groups to help prevent diabetes and high blood pressure.

What should you do?

You should visit your doctor or clinic and get tested. Your checkup should include:

• Checking your blood pressure
• Having a simple test for protein in your urine. Protein is an important building block in your body. Any filtered protein is normally reabsorbed and kept in your body. When your kidneys are damaged, however, protein leaks into your urine. There are different tests to find protein in your urine. If you have two positive tests over several weeks, you are said to have persistent protein in your urine. This is a sign of chronic kidney disease.
• Having a simple blood test for creatinine, a waste product that comes from muscle activity. Your kidneys normally remove creatinine from your blood. When your kidneys are damaged, however, your blood creatinine may build to a high level. The results of your blood creatinine test should be used to estimate your glomerular filtration rate, or GFR. Your GFR tells how much kidney function you have.

The National Kidney Foundation provides a free community-based health program called the Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP). This includes tests for the early detection of chronic kidney disease.

Call your local National Kidney Foundation affiliate or the national toll-free number 800-622-9010 to find out if this program is available in your community. You can also find more information on their website: http://www.kidney.org

Source: National Kidney Foundation.