Chronic Kidney Disease: how to detect it in time?
As in other diseases, an early, timely diagnosis is essential for maintaining good quality of life for the patient in the case of Chronic Kidney Disease. These are some of the recommendations for patients with this diagnosis.
To start, it is important to understand what the risk factors are that can help a person detect the start of CKD. Firstly, the symptoms that can flag the start of this condition in its first stage are:
- Reduced urine volume
- Blood in urine
- Swelling of the legs and face
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- High blood pressure
- Urine with too much foam
Despite these symptoms, CKD often times acts silently when at the beginning. This is why it is very important to have the corresponding tests done, even if it just to rule out the disease. This way, the patient can avoid worsening of their condition if they are suffering from the disease, and they can start working as fast as possible to treat it.
There are two recommended tests for detecting CKD in time, according to the National Kidney Foundation, those being a urine analysis and then a blood test. The urine analysis allows us to see if there are traces of protein in the urine, which means that the kidneys are not filtering the blood properly. The blood test, on the other hand, allows us to see if the kidney has any problems since creatinine levels (waste from the muscles) increase when this happens. The results of these two tests are necessary in ruling out or confirming the presence of CKD.
Anyhow, there are patients with risk factors that sometimes lead to the development of this condition. According to the American Kidney Fund, these are some of those factors:
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Heart problems
- Obesity
- Family history of kidney disease
- People over the age of 60
If the patient presents one or several of these conditions, periodic kidney function tests are recommended to rule out the existence of CKD, or so that he/she can begin treatment in a timely manner if detected.
If the patient is diagnosed with CKD, understanding that this disease has different grades is crucial, and that there are different factors that can change the way in which it develops.
How to proceed once a case of CKD is detected?
- To start, avoiding nephrotoxic drugs that cause damage to the kidneys, such as analgesics and antibiotics, is required. Only the medications approved by your doctor should be taken.
- Guarantee adequate fluid intake. The patient should drink enough water and avoid alcoholic beverages.
- Keep, at the same time, a risk factors log (diabetes, arterial hypertension).
If the patient is in a moderate or advanced stage of CKD, it is important for him/her to have access to constant monitoring and check-up of kidney function and risk factors, which should always be carried out according to the specialist's specific guidelines.
To guarantee successful treatment, for patients under dialysis, compliance with periodic medical check-ups must be maintained, along with controlling blood pressure, diabetes if present and strictly following nutritional recommendations.