March is National Kidney Month, a time to raise awareness about kidney disease.
What are the kidneys and what do they do?
Kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, located near the middle of the back, just below the rib cage. Kidneys are a filtering system, which filter about 200 quarts of blood each day. They remove about two quarts of waste products and excess fluid in the form of urine.
What is Chronic Kidney Disease?
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) includes conditions that damage the kidneys and decrease their ability to properly filter they body. If kidney disease gets worse, wastes can build to high levels and cause sickness. Problems relating to kidney disease may happen slowly over a long period of time, but early detection and treatment can often keep CKD from getting worse.
Kidney Disease Facts:
- 1 in 3 American adults is at high risk for developing kidney disease today.*
- High blood pressure, diabetes, a family history of kidney failure and being over 60 are major risk factors for developing kidney disease.*
- 1 in 9 American adults has kidney disease — and most don’t know it.*
- Early detection and treatment can slow or prevent the progression of kidney disease.*
- Kidney disease risk can be reduced by controlling blood pressure and blood sugar, quitting smoking, regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, and avoiding excessive use of pain medications.*
What tests do are needed to see how the kidneys are working?
CKD has a silent onset, which means there are often no symptoms until the kidneys are badly damaged, but blood and urine tests can tell a healthcare provider how a patient’s kidneys are working. At BioReference, we are pleased to offer The Kidney Profile, as recommended by the National Kidney Foundation, to assist healthcare providers in ordering the tests needed to detect and diagnose kidney disease. The profile includes testing for Serum Creatinine, Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR), Albumin-Creatinine Ratio (ACR), Protein-Creatinine Ratio (PCR).
Take time during Kidney Awareness Month to speak with your healthcare provider about your kidney health, and ask if there are any tests appropriate for you to test your kidney function.
If you are a healthcare provider, click here to become a client so you can begin ordering The Kidney Profile and other kidney function tests.
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Source:
*National Kidney Foundation https://www.kidney.org/news/national-kidney-month-take-five-your-kidneys
