There are certain chronic health conditions that dominate the headlines, such as cancer and heart disease. The ailments that generate the most buzz seem to be those that affect the most people and, at the same time, are to some extent preventable.
This brings us to the curious case of kidney disease.
Chronic kidney disease, or CKD, fits the same profile in terms of being common and yet often preventable -- but it does not receive nearly the attention as other diseases.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, about one in eight adults has some form of CKD. The reason for the increasing frequency of kidney disease is unclear. It could be that more people are contracting CKD, or that people are simply living longer, or that physicians are finding the condition more often because they are on a mission to find it.
I do not think I am going out on a limb when I say that kidney disease has far less public awareness than America's No. 1 killer, cardiovascular disease. Case in point: There is a good chance you did not know March is National Kidney Month.
The good news is that there are some simple, effective steps everyone can take to prevent chronic kidney disease. Here are a few ways to keep your kidneys healthy for the long run:
1. Drink plenty of water: This will help keep your kidneys flushed and working properly. While the ideal amount varies from person to person, a good rule of thumb is to drink six to eight 8-ounce glasses daily. Be sure to space them throughout the day and avoid drinking too much water close to bedtime.
2. Limit your intake of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: It's OK for most individuals to take one or two ibuprofen (always after food) from time to time for their aches and pains and low-grade fever. However, prolonged use of ibuprofen and related painkillers (naproxen, others) may lead to CKD -- especially if these medications are regularly mixed together.
3. Take care of chronic medical conditions: Kidney disease often creeps up silently. Your most reliable warning sign might be the presence of another existing illness. According to National Kidney Foundation data, the more severe one's hypertension, the more likely impaired kidney function may follow. Moreover, in a 2000 foundation study of 125,000 individuals with diabetes, high blood pressure, or a family history of these diseases or kidney disease, one third of these individuals already had some level of CKD. What this means is: If you are living with one of these common chronic medical conditions, you really want to pay extra attention to steps one and two.
Kidneys perform the essential function of cleaning waste products, drugs and excess water out of our bloodstream. Like most of our organs, we take them for granted and often do not appreciate them until we experience a problem. Odds are your kidneys are doing their critical job just fine. To make sure they stay that way can be as simple as "one, two, three."
source: timesdispatch
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