March is Kidney Health Awareness Month
What is Kidney Health?
This measures how well the kidneys are filtering the blood. Doctors measure blood creatinine levels and perform a calculation to find out your glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Good Score: Over 90 is good. 60-89 should be monitored. Less than 60 for 3 months indicates kidney disease.
Signs of kidney disease
A number of symptoms can develop if kidney disease is not found early, or it gets worse despite treatment.
- weight loss and poor appetite
- swollen ankles, feet or hands – as a result of water retention
- shortness of breath
- tiredness
- blood in your pee (urine)
- an increased need to pee – particularly at night
- difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
- itchy skin
- muscle cramps
- feeling sick
- headaches
- erectile dysfunction in men
A few simple ways to keep your kidneys safe and functioning properly include:
- Keep active and fit.
- Control blood sugar
- Monitor blood pressure.
- Monitor weight and eat healthily.
- Drink plenty of fluids
- Stop smoking.
- Have kidney function tested if at high risk
What is the treatment of chronic kidney disease?
The main treatments are lifestyle changes – to help you stay as healthy as possible. medicine – to control associated problems, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. dialysis – treatment to replicate some of the kidney’s functions, which may be necessary in advanced (stage 5) CKD.
Test done to check kidney function.
A serum creatinine blood test measures the amount of creatinine in your blood. If your kidneys are not working like they should, your serum creatinine level goes up. Normal levels for you will depend on your sex, age, and the amount of muscle mass your body has.
At Adams Laboratory we perform various urine and creatine blood tests, if you’re having similar symptoms/signs of kidney disease please do NOT hesitate to visit our building on Great Marlborough Street,2nd Floor, and get tested. You can also call us at 1767-275-1458