(WXYZ) — In today’s Health Alert, March is National Kidney Month, a time to focus on kidney health. Right now, over a million adults in Michigan have chronic kidney disease, with over 16,000 on dialysis and nearly 2,200 waiting for a lifesaving kidney transplant.
Alarmingly, 1 in 3 adults in Michigan are at risk for kidney disease. In fact, I have patients with chronic kidney disease, or CKD for short. For many, kidney health wasn’t on their radar.
CKD means the kidneys are damaged, or their function has decreased for three months or more. This hampers their ability to work properly. Kidneys are super important as they filter blood, removing waste, drugs, toxins, and extra fluid. If you develop advanced chronic kidney disease, this can lead to dangerous levels of harmful substances in the body.
So, what can lead to chronic kidney disease? Well, the leading cause of kidney failure in the U.S. is diabetes. The second is high blood pressure. Other risk factors include heart disease, obesity, and a family history of CKD. Also, certain populations such as African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans are more at risk.
The problem with CKD is that it often starts off silently. Early stages usually don’t show symptoms. As it progresses, you might need to urinate more often, experience difficult or painful urination, feel more tired, notice puffy eyes, or have swelling in your hands, feet, and ankles.
Unfortunately, CKD is progressive, and there's no cure. It can lead to total kidney failure, requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive.
It’s super important to get medical check-ups because early detection is key. Doctors can order simple blood or urine tests to check kidney function and detect damage.
As for treatment, the goal is to preserve your kidney function for as long as possible. Depending on the cause, you may be prescribed medications to control high blood pressure, reduce swelling, or manage blood sugar if you have diabetes.
Now, complications from CKD include heart disease - which is the leading cause of death in these patients. But on a positive note, many people with CKD live long, fulfilling lives. With proper treatment and management, most don't progress to kidney failure or face life-threatening issues.
This month, for National Kidney Month, I encourage everyone to take charge of their kidney health. Eat a balanced diet, increase physical activity, quit smoking, and avoid overuse of NSAIDs like ibuprofen and naproxen. Also, talk to your doctor about being tested to check your kidney health.
This Week on the Dr. Nandi Show
How important is sex to your overall physical and mental health? And to your marriage? Or your career? In this episode, Dr. Partha Nandi, MD is talking about sex – the good, the bad, the ugly. Experts answer difficult questions that some people are too embarrassed to ask. Hear tips and advice from a psychotherapist, a psychologist, and a certified reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist. Plus, a couple talks about struggles in the bedroom and how they reconnected. Tune in this Monday, March 10th, at 2:30 am.
