Every year we celebrate the World Kidney day on the 2nd Thursday of March.This year the theme is “Are Your Kidneys OK? Detect Early, Protect Kidney Health”
So how do we detect kidney disease early?
➢ If you are suffering from hypertension or diabetes-

• Stay in close follow up with your treating clinician.
• Make sure the parameters are in check with your regular medications.
• Home blood pressure monitoring should be encouraged which always gives a fair idea on the control of hypertension.The same applies for diabetes where in blood sugar monitoring at home should be done.
• You should do a kidney function test atleast once in a year or more frequently if you are already having deranged kidney functions.

➢ Persistent headache mandates blood pressure to be checked.If found to be elevated one should always undergo a kidney function test and a routine urine examination.

➢ Easy fatiguability,decreased appetite,nausea to food,having shortness of breath on exertion,having lower limb swelling or swelling around your eyes, passing reddish coloured urine,finding excessive froth in your urine,passing excessive urine at night mandates a kidney function test and nephrologist review.

➢ Loose stools accompanied with lower limb swelling should never be overlooked as it might point towards a glomerular pathology and you should see a nephrologist at the earliest.

What should we do to protect our kidneys?
➢ Keep your basic disease(diabetes/hypertension) in check

➢ Lead a healthy life style which includes physical exercise, healthy food habits(avoidance of excessive salts,junk and canned foods,sweetened beverages) and abstinence from addiction
➢ Avoid consuming pain killers and indigeneous medications for a long period of time.The latter often is adulterated with heavy metals which leads to kidney dysfunction in due course of time and you may be totally asymptomatic in this time frame.

➢ Once you are labelled as having chronic renal failure,the protein intake should be brought down to 0.8gm/kg/day from 1gm/kg/day which is advisable for a normal individual.That doesn’t mean you curb down the regular pulses from your diet as even a normal diet would be falling short to reach the recommended levels.However plant based proteins should be encouraged over animal proteins.

➢ Stay in regular follow up with your nephrologist.

➢ Spread the knowledge and educate others regarding kidney health.

Dr Uttayan Chakrabarti
MBBS,MD Medicine, DM Nephrology
Consultant Nephrologist
Manipal Hospitals, Dhakuria