The main job of our
kidneys (which are roughly the size of two fists and are
located deep in our abdomen, beneath our rib cage) is to
remove toxins and excess water from our blood. Every
day our kidneys filter and clean 200 liters of blood
– a quantity that would fill about 200 bottles or 20
buckets! Besides this impressive, daily feat,
kidneys also help to control our blood pressure, to produce
red blood cells and to keep our bones healthy.
If our kidneys gradually lose
their ability to function, we speak of chronic kidney
disease (CKD). It is a “silent” disease and often goes
unnoticed because it may not be “felt”. Yet it affects many
more people than we would ever imagine: studies of different
races living on different continents worldwide have
consistently shown that about 1 out of 10 adults has
some form of kidney damage.
People with chronic kidney
disease are 10 times more likely than healthy individuals to
die of heart attacks and strokes. The
health of their kidneys may also progressively worsen to the
point where the kidneys must be replaced (this is called
"end-stage renal disease"). Either patients receive a new,
transplanted kidney or they are kept alive with “dialysis” –
usually by a machine which cleans their blood about three
times a week.
Fortunately, we can
detect chronic kidney disease early on, and
detection is easy. Simple, routine tests of our urine, blood
and blood pressure can show early signs of kidney problems.
And the good news is that once we know these problems, we
can slow down and even stop chronic kidney disease,
by taking medicines and changing some of our living habits.
Early detection and treatment
of CKD can not only slow or halt the progression of patients
to end-state renal disease, but it can also significantly
reduce the incidence of cardiovascular diseases,
which are today by far the most common cause of premature
deaths worldwide.
Chronic
kidney diseases and cardiovascular diseases will kill 36
million people by the year 2015.
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