Are Your Kidneys Okay?

CKD can go unnoticed because your kidneys have a lot of spare work capacity. Your kidneys may be able to lose more than 75 percent of their ability to function before you realize that anything’s wrong. Consequently, CKD can be quite advanced before it’s discovered. That spells trouble not only for your kidneys but for your cardiovascular system as well. The risk of cardiovascular problems — which mainly include heart attack and stroke — rises dramatically when you have CKD. In fact, cardiovascular problems are the top cause of death in people with CKD.

–Source: PCHRD Library

I went to my dialysis treatment the other day as scheduled. It went okay, generally speaking, though the only setback was that I had to endure the scorching summer heat during the travel from our house to the clinic. Not that I am complaining much but I guess you really can’t blame me for doing so. Anyway, while I was in queue, I can’t help but notice the age diversity of my fellow patients. Many in our clinic are old folks, but the equally disturbing fact that I noticed is that there are also a number of patients who seems to be barely out of adolescence.

Yes, you heard me right. There are young people in our clinic suffering from kidney failure and undergoing dialysis treatment. Isn’t it a sad and depressing fact? Yes, it is, but still a fact nonetheless.

“Anyone can get chronic kidney disease at any age…”

- National Kidney Foundation

In my case, my Kidney Failure was a secondary complication to Chronic Glomerulonephritis, and possibly, a long, undetected, and untreated case of Hypertension. Here are some list to take notice if you’re thinking of getting yourself screened for kidney disease:

You may have an increased risk for kidney disease if you:

• have diabetes
• have high blood pressure
• have a family history of chronic kidney disease
• are older
• belong to a population group that has a high rate of diabetes or high blood pressure, such as African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian, Pacific Islanders, and American Indians.

Source: NKF

The saying “An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of care” does rings true, for me in any case. If you feel it in you that you need to have your kidneys, or your general health for that matter, checked, go ahead and do it. Although it’s true that it’s hard to detect kidney failure at it’s early stages and exhibits symptoms belatedly, prevention and early detection would still make a difference.

Better safe than sorry…

Tagged as: CKD, Dialysis, ESRD, Health, Journals, Kidney Failure, teens

Article by Julius

Julius is a blogger and a freelance graphics artist undergoing dialysis treatment since 2003. An enthusiastic person by nature, he loves to write, blog, cook, read books, tinker around, listen to rock music, and do research.