Kidney Disease Prevention
One in 3 adults in America is at risk of developing kidney disease. Certain conditions increase our chances of kidney disease, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and family history. If you have any of those risk factors, you must take care of your health to prevent the disease.
Prevention lessens the need to worry about treatment. There are several ways to lower your risk of kidney disease. These include:
- Reduce your salt intake
- Change your eating habits to a healthy diet
- Lose weight if you are obese or overweight
- Exercise
- Stop smoking
- Limit alcohol
Testing for Kidney Disease
Testing is crucial for managing your kidney health. A lack of symptoms does not mean you don�t have kidney disease, which makes it all the more necessary to be tested. The earlier you are diagnosed the easier it is to manage the disease and even prevent the progression of the disease.
There are two ways to quickly test for kidney disease: a urine test or a blood test.
Urine Test
A simple urine test can tell whether you have a problem with your kidneys. A urine test for kidney disease checks for the protein, Albumin. The Albumin Creatinine Ratio (ACR) estimates the amount of Albumin in your urine. The levels of Albumin are an indicator of kidney disease.
Blood Test
The Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) is the best way to test for kidney disease. The function of the kidney is to remove waste from your body. The GFR tests how well your kidneys functioning. If the results come back and they are over 90, then this is good. If you�re in the 60-89 range, you need to be monitored and step up prevention efforts. If you are at less than 60 for 3 months and more, then this is an indicator that you have kidney disease and need to seek help quickly.