March is designated National Kidney Month to raise awareness about prevention of kidney disease and early detection. According to the National Kidney Foundation, 1 in 9 Americans (26 million people) have Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and millions of others have an increased risk of developing it because of high blood pressure, diabetes or a family history of kidney disease. In 2010, kidney disease was the eighth leading cause of death in the United States. Approximately 20 million U.S. adults, 20 years and older have chronic kidney disease, and most of them are unaware of their condition. If left untreated, CKD can lead to kidney failure, requiring dialysis or transplantation for survival. Early kidney disease has no symptoms. Most people don’t know something is wrong until their kidneys are about to fail. The only way to tell if you have kidney disease is to get tested. Simple blood and urine tests are used to detect kidney disease. The National Kidney Foundation website www.kidney.org is dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease.
