Contents
Kidney disease can be asymptomatic, affecting the body internally. Most often they are diagnosed by accident, often at the stage when the situation is really serious. Sick kidneys can also lead to serious cardiovascular diseases, including a heart attack.
- Chronic kidney disease, however, is a disease that many people do not know exists
- This lack of awareness about kidney disease can be fatal because the kidneys usually don’t hurt. This means that you may simply not know about your developing condition
- We can find out that something bad is happening with the kidneys through simple screening tests – so it is worth doing them regularly
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From a survey conducted by the Institute of Market and Social Research IBiRS among a thousand Polish residents over 40 years of age shows that as much as 70 percent. of them have not heard about chronic kidney disease (CKD), and only one in five knows what complications this disease may be associated with. In response to such frighteningly low awareness of this disease, the Polish Society of Family Medicine is establishing a coalition whose goal is to promote knowledge about chronic kidney disease, including its prevention and early diagnosis.
– CKD is an important disease from the point of view of the condition of the entire society. Realizing patients, especially those at risk, that “kidneys do not hurt”, that is, that serious kidney diseases remain asymptomatic for a long time, which may have serious consequences for health and life, is an important goal of the campaign. A very important element of the coalition’s activities will also be the development of a standard of care in chronic kidney disease for family doctors, says Prof. Andrzej Fal, president of the Polish Society of Public Health.
Chronic kidney disease is most often diagnosed by accident
Due to the lack of symptoms, chronic kidney disease is most often diagnosed accidentally, and usually at an advanced stage, when there is significant damage to the kidneys. Meanwhile, the development of this disease is slow and includes as many as five stages – long enough to prevent serious complications, when it becomes very dangerous and often treatment consists of dialysis.
It is worth remembering that CKD increases the risk of death from cardiovascular causes (heart attack, stroke, heart failure) and the likelihood of cancer many times over. According to research, CKD causes a significant reduction in the life expectancy of a 40-year-old: detected in the third stage (G3) – by 15, in the fourth – by 25, and in the fifth – by as much as 30 years!
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Unfortunately, the disease, especially at the initial stage, may be asymptomatic. What’s worse, even in advanced stages, the slow build-up of symptoms allows you to get used to them and the patient can afford to ignore the disturbing ailments for a long time.
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Diseased kidneys mean high mortality due to… heart disease
In Poland, a significant proportion of patients with CKD are diagnosed at the time of advanced, last stage of the disease, when they have to start dialysis therapy. End-stage renal disease is associated with very high mortality, morbidity from comorbidities and reduced quality of life. It is estimated that in our country as many as 80 die prematurely every year due to CKD. people.
The more advanced the progression of kidney disease, the sooner the patient requires renal replacement therapy – i.e. hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis or kidney transplantation. The costs of such treatment are enormous. That is why it is so important to promptly and correctly diagnose chronic kidney disease by a family doctor and refer the patient to a nephrologist.
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What tests should be performed?
In many cases, a diagnosis of CKD requires two simple laboratory tests – blood creatinine and a general urine test. It is worth doing such tests once a year, also when we do not feel any discomfort.
According to experts, frequent detection of CKD at an advanced stage is the result of, among others, lack of awareness, primarily among patients, but also among primary health care physicians.
– The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a huge health debt, which we will “pay back” for years – abandoning prophylaxis and early diagnosis will affect the health of many of our patients. Civilization diseases and their consequences, including chronic kidney disease, have long remained in the shadow of the fight against the pandemic, says Prof. Agnieszka Mastalerz-Migas, president of the Polish Society of Family Medicine.
Coalition “Open your heart to the kidneys”
The coalition will include specialists in various fields of medicine, with a wide representation of experts in the field of nephrology, as well as public health and family medicine. The coalition is formed under the slogan “Open your heart to the kidneys”, which is not accidental. A number of scientific studies indicate that CKD is an important and independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases. Compared to the general population in the same age range, CKD patients die prematurely of cardiovascular disease such as coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, cerebrovascular disease, stroke, atrial fibrillation, peripheral arterial disease, and sudden cardiac death . In dialysis patients, the risk of death increases up to 20-fold.
The idea of the coalition is related to the World Kidney Day, which was established on the initiative of the International Nephrology Society and the International Federation of the Kidney Foundation and was celebrated for the first time in 2006. It always falls on the second Thursday of March.
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