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Kidney Disease
What You Need to Know
By Andrew S. Narva, MD
| Print Version

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Kidney Disease Basics

You have two kidneys. Their main job is to filter extra water and wastes out of your blood and produce urine. Kidney disease is a condition in which the kidney's ability to filter is decreased. Waste then builds up in the blood, harming the body.

Most kidney disease is chronic; it can be treated but does not go away. Usually the goal of treatment is to prevent kidney disease from getting worse. If found early, kidney disease can be effectively treated to keep your kidneys healthier longer. If not treated, kidney disease can lead to kidney failure. People with kidney failure need to go on dialysis or a get a kidney transplant to continue living.

Early kidney disease has no symptoms, so testing is the only way to know if you have it. Find out at your next medical visit if you should be tested.

Risk Factors for Kidney Disease

You are at risk for kidney disease if you have:

• Diabetes; or
• High blood pressure; or
• Cardiovascular (heart) disease; or
• A mother, father, sister, or brother with kidney disease.

Diabetes and high blood pressure are the two main risk factors for kidney disease, and the leading causes of kidney failure. Both diabetes and high blood pressure can damage your kidneys over time, without you knowing it. If you have any of these risk factors, you should get tested for kidney disease.

Kidney Disease/Failure and the African American Community

African Americans are disproportionately affected by kidney failure.1 In large part, this is due to higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure (hypertension)-the two leading causes of kidney failure-among African Americans. African Americans make up about 12 percent of the U.S. population but account for about 32 percent of the people with kidney failure.¹

Testing for Kidney Disease

Blood and urine tests are used to find kidney disease.

• The blood test helps your doctor measure your GFR (glomerular filtration rate), which tells you how well your kidneys are working. A GFR of 60 or higher is in the normal range. A GFR lower than 60 may mean kidney disease.
• The urine test measures the amount of protein in your urine. Protein can leak into the urine when the kidneys are not working well.

Because early kidney disease has no symptoms, the only way to know if you have it is to get tested. The sooner kidney disease is found, the sooner you can take steps to help prevent kidney failure.

Make sure you know:

• your GFR,
• how much protein is in your urine, and
• your blood pressure.

Steps you can take to keep your kidneys healthy

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1. Manage your diabetes and high blood pressure. You can do this by:
   • eating healthy,
   • staying active,
   • taking medicines as prescribed, and
   • seeing your health care provider regularly.
2. Get your blood and urine tested for kidney disease.
3. Talk to your health care provider about your treatment options, including medications that can help protect the kidneys.

Treatment for Kidney Disease

Kidney disease can be effectively treated if detected early. Controlling diabetes and high blood pressure are critical to keeping kidneys healthier longer. Medications used to treat high blood pressure-called ACEs and ARBs-can prevent or slow the progression of kidney disease to kidney failure. In addition, diet can have a big impact on the health of kidneys; dietary treatment will vary from person to person.

Make a Difference at Your Next Family Reunion

Many of us have family members who have diabetes or high blood pressure or both. Because these conditions are the main risk factors for kidney disease, it's important to talk to your family members about what they can do to protect their kidneys. The free Family Reunion Health Guide contains everything you need to share this important information at your next reunion or family gathering. Call 1-866-4 KIDNEY or visit www.nkdep.nih.gov/familyreunion to get the Family Reunion Health Guide.

For more information about kidney disease, visit the National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP) at www.nkdep.nih.gov or call 1-866-4 KIDNEY (1-866-454-3639).

NKDEP, a program of the National Institutes of Health, aims to improve early detection of kidney disease, help identify patients at risk for progression to kidney failure, and promote interventions to slow progression of kidney disease.

References

1. National Institutes of Health: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, U.S. Renal Data System. USRDS 2006 Annual Data Report: Atlas of End-Stage Renal Disease in the United States, 2006.

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