Today I am going to focus on
general information about your kidneys – do read it because it may one day save
your life or the life of someone you love.
Kidney Disease – facts and figures
v
50,000 people in the UK are being treated for kidney
failure
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90% of people on the transplant list are waiting for a
kidney
v
7,000 are waiting for a transplant and every day 1 of them
will die
v
Around 1 in 10 of us has chronic kidney disease
v
Kidney disease costs the NHS over £3.66 billion a year
v
Kidney disease affects over 10% of hospital admissions
v
3 million people in the UK are at risk of kidney disease
v
Kidney failure is a ‘silent disease’ with little or no
symptoms
v
About 15% of patients admitted to hospital with an acute
illness will have some reduction in kidney function
Your kidneys
v
Remove waste
v
Clean the blood
v
Ensure healthy bones
v
Control blood pressure
v
Makes a hormone which helps create red blood cells
And many other things as I
have found out!
People at risk of kidney
disease are not just those who have an inherited diseases but all those people
with diabetes, high blood pressure, (particularly if these 2 are not
controlled) overuse of some tablets (NSAIDs), long term infections, blockages
such a kidney stones, and heart disease.
Kidney disease can affect people in different ways but
some of the symptoms are:
v Feeling
tried
v Difficulty
concentrating
v Itchy skin
v Breathless
on exertion
v Poor appetite
and weight loss
v Feeling sick
v Swelling in
the legs
v
Headaches
v
Protein in the urine
But may have no symptoms!
It can be diagnosed with a simple blood test and a urine test and for most people (90%) will never lead to dialysis or transplant.
You can help yourself by having regular blood tests, take
regular exercise, keep your weight down, don’t smoke, if you have high blood
pressure or diabetes make sure it is well controlled. Be kidney aware.
Kidney problems have always been a serious disease with fatal consequences if left untreated. Most people ages 40 and above opt for a dialysis while waiting for an organ donor, which is a good choice. In some cases, there are younger people with an advanced stage of renal failure, which is quite troublesome. Though it could spread virally, taking proper care of yourself and closely monitoring your diet will certainly help in avoiding kidney disease.
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