MemorialCare Health System Your Health: Maintaining Healthy Kidneys

Celebrating Kidney Month

March is National Kidney Month and Long Beach Memorial is encouraging everyone to pay special attention to their kidney health.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is an under-diagnosed, under-treated disease, yet early detection can prevent the progression of kidney failure. According to the National Kidney Foundation, more than 26 million Americans have CKD and most of them are unaware they have the disease. When diagnosed, those with kidney disease can take steps to slowing progression.

"Kidney disease can show signs and symptoms; however you may not notice them. Typically severe symptoms do not present themselves until advanced stages of kidney disease," says James Leo, M.D., Associate Chief Medical Officer, Long Beach Memorial. "This is why it is critical to speak with your physician about your risk of CKD, especially if you have diabetes and/or high blood pressure. Diabetes and high blood pressure are the two main causes of CKD."

CKD affects all ages, and some symptoms of CKD, according to the National Kidney Foundation include:

• Fatigue
• Trouble concentrating
• Poor appetite
• Difficulty sleeping
• Muscle cramping at night
• Swollen feet and ankles
• Puffiness around eyes, especially in the morning
• Dry, itchy skin
• Increased urination, particularly at night

When kidney disease does strike, Long Beach Memorial is there to offer services to manage and treat kidney diseases and conditions including lithotripsy, a non-surgical option for treating kidney stones, and hemodialysis, an inpatient treatment option used to clean a patient's blood when the kidneys are unable to remove enough waste and fluid from your body.

Outside of the hospital, kidney disease can be managed through lifestyle changes, such as controlling blood pressure, maintaining healthy blood sugar levels, well-balanced diets and regular exercise, and simple tests like blood pressure screenings, ultrasounds, urine albumin and serum creatinine can detect kidney disease at early stages.

Those with uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetes or a family history of kidney disease should speak to a physician or a kidney specialist about their risk for kidney disease and management/treatment options.

5 Easy Tips to Maintaining Healthy Kidneys:

• Exercise regularly
• Eat a well-balanced diet – reducing your salt intake
• Manage blood pressure – hypertension causes kidney failure and kidney failure causes hypertension
• Control diabetes – many diagnosed with diabetes develop kidney damage
• Don't smoke – smoking increases your risk of developing several health related problems such as high blood pressure, cancer and more.

For more information on kidney disease and management/treatment options, contact a Long Beach Memorial kidney specialist or call 800-Memorial for a physician referral.