2-28-06

Kidney disease

Chronic conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes can lead to chronic kidney disease with increased risk of cardiovascular problems and even death.

More than 20 million Americans have chronic kidney disease and 20 million more are at increased risk for developing the disease, but most don’t even know it. High blood pressure and diabetes are the leading causes of kidney disease, says Dr. Bradley Schwartz, associate professor of urology at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield.

SOUND BITE: ". . . high blood pressure causes a deterioration and the hardening of the architecture of the kidney. It also leads to atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries of the kidneys, which is the same disease that can affect the heart or peripheral blood vessels. And when that happens, the kidney loses the ability to filter the blood and make urine."

Dr. Schwartz says diabetes can destroy the nerve tissue and blood vessels in the kidneys, also causing them to lose their filtering ability. Some medications, infections, kidney stones and obstructions can affect kidney function as well. For overall kidney health, Dr. Schwartz has several recommendations:

SOUND BITE: ". . . the most important aspect is routine and yearly visits to your primary physician or your urologist or nephrologist looking for blood in the urine, protein in the urine, anything that might be detectable as abnormal by the patient in their urinary habits or urine character. Unfortunately, renal failure or kidney failure – once that happens, it’s too late to reverse the effects."

To help maintain healthy kidneys, Dr. Schwartz also encourages living a healthy lifestyle. This includes a healthy diet, regular exercise, and not smoking.

This is Ruth Slottag at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield.