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Chronic kidney disease
Ebony, July, 2005
Chronic kidney disease occurs when kidneys can't eliminate waste or maintain the correct fluid and chemical balances in the body. A normal kidney functions to filter the body's waste products from the blood through urine. And when that filtering process doesn't occur properly, the accumulation of the body's waste can become toxic.
African-Americans comprise about 33 percent of all patients treated for kidney failure in the United States, research shows. According to the National Kidney Foundation, diabetes, the leading cause of chronic kidney disease and the leading cause of kidney failure in African-Americans, is more common in African-Americans. Additionally, high blood pressure, the second-leading cause of chronic kidney disease, also appears more often in African-Americans.
Other risk factors for kidney disease include a family history, a high-protein/high-fat diet, older age, and long-term use of several medications.
Most people do not have severe symptoms of kidney disease until their condition gets worse. You may feel exhausted, have less energy, have dry, itchy skin, muscle cramps at night, swollen feet and ankles, puffiness around your eyes and feet, and the need to urinate more often, especially at night.
If you have experienced any of these symptoms or recognize the risk factors in yourself, tell your doctor. He or she will most likely perform a test for protein in your urine, and give you a blood test for creatinine, a waste product that comes from muscle activity.
Kidney disease can develop rapidly (in two to three months) or over a longer period of time (30 to 40 years), according to experts. While chronic kidney disease is progressive, and sometimes fatal, there are effective ways to treat and manage kidney disease, including medications, lifestyle changes and diet.
If kidney disease progresses, your doctor may prescribe an artificial means of removing waste--a process called dialysis--or you may be a candidate for a kidney transplant.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group
