Australia wide, there are currently 1.8 million people who are unaware they living with kidney disease. Due to the largely symptomless nature of kidney disease at its early stages, raising awareness about early detection will help find, diagnose and treat these millions of people before they reach the devastating reality of kidney failure.
Why are kidneys so important?
Your kidneys play a vital role in your body. They work hard to clean your blood and create urine for you 24 hours a day. Without kidney function, you would struggle to process toxins and eliminate waste, and this would have a devastating impact on your health.
What are the early symptoms?
Even though many associate kidney disease with pain weeing or blood in the wee, kidney disease is largely symptomless. In fact, you can lose 90% of kidney function with no warning. By the time symptoms are felt people are close to kidney failure. It’s not surprising that kidney disease is so often underdiagnosed, until it’s too late to do anything about it.
Know the risk factors
Risk factors for developing kidney disease include people who:
- have diabetes
- have high blood pressure
- have established heart problems (heart failure or heart attack) or have had a stroke
- have a family history of kidney disease or kidney failure
- are obese with a body mass index (BMI) 30 or higher
- have smoked or is a current smoker
- are 60 years or older
- are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin
- have a history of acute kidney injury
Are you at increased risk?
Identifying the risk factors that may affect you and your potential for developing kidney disease is the first and important step. From there, you can talk to a health practitioner and ask them for a regular kidney health check.
By detecting kidney disease early, you can potentially improve your outcomes and delay the progression of your kidney disease. Call the practice to book in for a routine kidney check today.
