Chronic Kidney Disease: Are You Part Of The Silent Epidemic?
About 1 in 9 U.S. adults has chronic kidney disease (CKD). You may be one of them — even if you don’t know it.
Here’s something else you may not know:
Kidney disease speeds up heart disease. And vice versa. So if you already have heart disease, you may want to ask your doctor about checking your kidney function.
Early detection can help prevent kidney disease from progressing to kidney failure. That’s why some doctors want a $25 group of urine and blood tests to become routine.
The Surprising Cause Of Death For CKD Patients
In new research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, 2 studies involving 50,000 patients showed that kidney disease accelerates heart disease long before it has destroyed the kidneys.
In fact, heart disease is the major cause of death for CKD patients.
So even though end-stage kidney failure has doubled in the last 2 decades, most CKD patients will die of heart disease before they need to go on dialysis.
Obesity And The Risk Factors For CKD
If you’re overweight or obese, your excess weight may lead to diabetes and high blood pressure — the 2 biggest risk factors for both CKD and heart attacks.
A family history of kidney disease is another risk factor for CKD.
The groups at highest risk are African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, and senior citizens.
But the study showed that even at younger ages, if you have both CKD and known heart disease, your risk of death triples in just 2-1/2 years, mainly from heart problems.
The Symptoms To Watch For
At any age, here are the symptoms of CKD:
- Increased fatigue
- Trouble sleeping
- Muscle cramping at night
- Poor appetite
- Trouble concentrating
- Swollen ankles and feet
- Puffiness around the eyes, especially in the morning
- Dry, itchy skin
- More frequent urination, especially at night
The Diagnostic Tests
The doctors in the study checked 3 markers of kidney function:
- Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) which is the rate at which your kidneys filter blood
- Albumin level in the urine
- The presence of anemia
As each of these 3 markers worsened, the odds of having heart disease increased.
So if you’re obese, have heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or symptoms of CKD, you may want to discuss getting tested for CKD with your doctor. There are treatments available that can help.
But first, you need to know if you’re part of this silent epidemic.
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