Today we talked about the conditions that can make you more vulnerable to develop CKD. Getting to know your risk factors and learning how to control them can be golden opportunities for you and your doctor to prevent the development of kidney disease.
WHO ARE AT RISK?
No one is exempted! Anybody can get Chronic Kidney Disease but some of us are at increased risk.
You may be more at risk if you:
are 65 years older or older,
Are diabetics
Hypertensive
Have a history of kidney disease in the family
Have systematic lupus erythematosus
Have current urinary tract infections
Have congenital abnormalities of urinary tract, or
Are an african-american, hispanic-american, american indian, or an asian or a pacific islander.
If you have any of the risk factors above, you should consider seeing your doctor for a completive evalutaion.
Consult your doctor!
A first visit with your doctor will usually start with a long interview. You will be ask about your medical history, diseases in your past and present, and about drugs (legal and illegal) that you have been taking.
Your doctor will usually check if you have an symptoms that may be a warning signs or indicator of kidney disease.
A physical examination will include taking your blood pressure. A full body exam may give you doctor clues about your kidney function even without labaratory tests. The doctor also want to perform a direct rectal examination among male patients to determine the size of the prostate and to perform internal examination among female patients to determine if there are cervical masses that may cause blockage of urinary tracts.
Tests! Tests!
After your first doctor visit you will probably be sent to a laboratory to have a simple test done. The results of these tests can give your doctor a clearer picture of how your kidneys are. The basic test usually include the following:
A URINALYSIS is exactly what it sounds like an analysis of your urine. An important indication is protein in the urine. Protein is not normally found in the urine. When the kidneys fileter and clean the blood they usually keep protein from leaking out in the urine. But when the kidneys are damaged, protein leaks from the blood into the urine. Repeated finding of protein in the urine ( two positive test over several weeks) may be an early sign of a kidney damage.
Blood Chemistries examine the composition of some components of the blood in the serum. CREATININe is a waste product that usually removed by the kidneys of the body and eliminated through a urine. When the kidneys are damaged, creatinine can build up to high levels in the blood. Your creatinine value can be used to determine your GFR (GLOMERULAR FILTRATION RATE).
Your GFR is a number that your doctor can compute to score the health of your kidneys it is the basis for establishing the stage of CKD.
Ultrasound of the kidneys can be requested. The kidney ultrasound can give important information like: kidney size, the presence of obstructions , the presence of cyst and swelling of inflammation in the parts of the urinary tract.
Fasting Blood Sugar. Since the diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease, it is important to screen for its presence and to check for sugar control in known diabetics. Diabetes may be diagnosed by fasting blood sugar of 126 mg/dl or 7 mmol/L or higher.
Other test your doctor may request include:
CBC- to check for anemia or low levels of red cell in your blood
Blood Chemistries for calcium, potassium, sodium, and phosphorus
Arterial Blood Gases(ABG)- to check for the presence of acidosis and
Special test for patients suspected to have lupus-ANA (antinuclear antibody)
