March 12, 2015, is the 10th World Kidney Day (WKD). The theme of this year’s event is: “Focus on Kidney Health for All”. This is to remind the public that not everyone is aware of the dangers of kidney disease and not everyone has received proper treatment for kidney disease.
Why should we pay attention to the kidney health of all people?
Kidney is the most important excretory and endocrine organ in human body, which is closely related to the maintenance of human life activities. Normal people eat a variety of food and water and other nutrients every day, and after they are absorbed and metabolized in the body, the waste formed needs to be excreted by the kidneys in the form of urine in time, so as to maintain both the normal nutritional status of the body and the stability of the internal environment of the body. In addition, the kidneys also produce important hormones (such as erythropoietin, active vitamin D and vasoactive substances that regulate blood pressure), thus regulating the body’s hematopoiesis, bone formation and blood pressure, and therefore, the kidneys are a very important organ of the human body, which is called the “innate essence” in Chinese medicine. Due to the heavy workload of the kidney, it is very vulnerable to damage by various adverse factors.
Once the kidney is seriously damaged, it will not only affect the kidney itself, but also the function of the heart, blood vessels, hematopoietic system, skeletal system and other systems of the body, which will seriously threaten the life of patients. According to clinical epidemiological survey, one tenth of adults in China suffer from different degrees of chronic kidney disease, while the awareness rate is only less than 20%, the number of patients with end-stage renal failure caused by chronic kidney disease is increasing at a rate of more than 10% per year, and 1/3 of these patients are diagnosed with renal insufficiency for the first time, and urological diseases have become one of the ten major causes of death among our residents, therefore We should raise the awareness of all people on the protection of kidney diseases.
What are the early manifestations of kidney disease?
The early manifestations of kidney disease are diverse and often lack specificity, which are not easy to attract patients’ attention. Typical symptoms include: frothy urine, hematuria, swelling, high blood pressure, back pain, urinary discomfort (such as frequent, urgent, painful urination), increased nocturia, decreased urine volume, leg cramps, etc. There are also some patients whose main performance is easy fatigue, weakness, back pain, etc., which can be easily ignored by patients.
Third, how to detect chronic kidney disease at an early stage
The key to early detection of chronic kidney disease is to raise awareness of kidney disease and timely checkups. Especially for patients with hypertension, diabetes and atherosclerosis. People who are diagnosed with chronic nephritis or have the above chronic diseases should have regular urine and kidney function checks. People with family history of kidney diseases (e.g. diabetic nephropathy, hypertensive nephropathy, renal insufficiency, polycystic kidney, hereditary nephritis) should be more aware of kidney diseases, as these diseases have a clear family aggregation or heredity.
It is internationally recommended that healthy adults over the age of 40 should have their urine routine and kidney function checked at least once a year. Those who have been identified with chronic kidney disease should take timely and targeted therapeutic measures under the guidance of a specialist on a regular basis to control symptoms related to hypertension and proteinuria, monitor the activity level of the disease, avoid drug abuse, and effectively control the progression of the disease.
Fourth, how to protect the kidney and prevent kidney damage in daily life
We advocate everyone, starting from today, to remember the following eight guidelines to prevent kidney diseases
(1) Keep optimistic mood, proper exercise and water;
(2) Test and control your blood sugar regularly, those who have diabetes should strictly manage their blood sugar, use hypoglycemic drugs reasonably and have reasonable nutrition;
(3) closely observe the changes in your blood pressure, if you have hypertension, treat it in a timely manner, and under the guidance of your doctor, use reasonable antihypertensive drugs;
(4) Healthy diet, control your weight, obese people should pay attention to weight loss, avoid high-fat diet. Chronic renal insufficiency and diabetes mellitus should receive professional nutritional guidance from a dietitian to avoid nutritional deficiency and overnutrition;
(5) Ensure the hygiene of drinking water and prevent the intake of unclean water;
(6) Do not smoke. Smoking can aggravate proteinuria and kidney damage;
(7) Do not often take over-the-counter drugs, especially cold and flu medicines and painkillers. Do not use herbs to so-called “kidney”;
(8) If you have the following “high-risk factors”, please regularly check urinary routine and kidney function.
①Diabetes.
②High blood pressure.
(3) Obesity.
④Your parents or family members have kidney disease.
Let’s start a healthy lifestyle and stay away from the harmful effects of kidney disease. From today, care for our kidneys, early detection and early treatment can delay or even stop the threat of kidney disease to our health.