what is CKD?

What is Chronic Kidney Disease? (CKD)

Most people have 2 kidneys, healthy kidneys remove waste products and excess fluid, help regulate the body’s water, salts and other chemicals in the blood, and remove drugs and toxins.  Your kidneys also release hormones to help regulate blood pressure, make red blood cells and promote strong bones.  People with CKD have kidney damage or a decrease in kidney function often develop complications such as high blood pressure, anemia, weak bones, and malnutrition and nerve damage.  Left untreated, CKD can progress to kidney failure, which requires dialysis or a kidney transplant to sustain life.

The scary thing is CKD is a silent epidemic, and people with the disease often have no symptoms until the kidneys begin to fail.  As a result, thousands of people in the U.S. have their kidneys fail every year without advance warning that their kidneys were at risk.  The good news is that CKD is usually treatable if detected early.

What causes CKD

DIABETES AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE ARE THE TWO MAIN CAUSES OF CKD

These are responsible for up to two-thirds of the cases. Diabetes happens when your blood sugar is too high, causing damage to many organs in your body, including the kidneys and heart, as well as blood vessels, nerves and eyes. High blood pressure, or hypertension, occurs when the pressure of your blood against the walls of your blood vessels increases. If uncontrolled, or poorly controlled, high blood pressure can be a leading cause of heart attacks, strokes and chronic kidney disease. Also, chronic kidney disease can cause high blood pressure.

Other conditions that affect the kidneys are:

• Glomerulonephritis, a group of diseases that cause inflammation and damage to the kidney's filtering units. These disorders are the third most common type of kidney disease
• Inherited diseases, such as polycystic kidney disease, which causes large cysts to form in the kidneys and damage the surrounding tissue.
• Malformations that occur as a baby develops in its mother's womb. For example, a narrowing may occur that prevents normal outflow of urine and causes urine to flow back up to the kidney. This causes infections and may damage the kidneys.
• Lupus and other diseases that affect the body's immune system.
• Obstructions caused by problems like kidney stones, tumors or an enlarged prostate gland in men.
• Repeated urinary infections.

Are you at risk?

Are you at risk for Chronic Kidney Disease?

You should be screened for CKD if you have any of the following risk factors:

• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Family history of kidney failure or kidney disease
• Cardiovascular disease
• Your are over age 60
• You are African American, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander or Native American
• You are significantly (Obese) overweight.

Early treatment

• CKD can be slowed down it if is detected early
• CONTROL CONDITIONS THAT CAN HARM YOUR KIDNEYS
• Manage your blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol to protect your kidneys. 2 types of blood pressure pills
• ACE-inhibitors and ARBs protect kidneys (not everyone can take these meds)
• EAT A BALANCED DIET p.s. up high salt, high fat, and high sugar foods
• LIMIT PANKILLERS- frequent use of ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) can harm your kidneys
• QUIT SMOKING- smoking makes kidney disease worse and increases your risk for heart attack and stroke

Statistics

DIABETES
Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death. Type 1 diabetes usually occurs within children. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, usually occurring after age 45. Complications include: blindness, kidney disease, amputations, heart attack and stroke.

Prevalence in African Americans:

• Approximately 2.3 million African Americans have diabetes. 1/3 of them do not know it
• African Americans are 1.7 times more like to have diabetes, than Non-Latino Whites.
• 25% of African Americans between the ages of 65 and 74 have diabetes.
• 1 in 4 African American women over 55 years of age have diabetes.

Prevalence in Native Americans:

• Native Americans have the highest rates of diabetes in the world.
• Type 2 diabetes among Native Americans is 12.2% for those over 19 years of age.
• Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions among Native Americans. Complications from diabetes are major causes of death and health problems in most Native American populations.
• Amputations among Native Americans are 3-4 times higher than the general population.

Prevalence in Hispanics/Latinos:

• Type 2 diabetes is 2 times higher in Latinos than in Non-Latino Whites.
• 1.2 million of all Mexican Americans have diabetes.
• Nearly 16% of Cuban Americans in the U.S. between the ages of 45-74 have diabetes.
• Approximately 24% of Mexican Americans in U.S. and 26% of Puerto Ricans between the ages of 45-75 have diabetes.
• Diabetes Source: American Diabetes Association

HYPERTENSION (also referred to as high blood pressure)

• 23% of Americans aged 20-74 have hypertension.
• Over three quarters of women aged 75 and over have hypertension.
• 64% of men aged 75 and over have hypertension.
• As many as 50 million Americans age 6 and older have hypertension.
• Hypertension is most prevalent in the African American population. It affects about one out of every three African Americans.
• One in five Americans has hypertension.
• Non-Hispanic blacks and Mexican Americans are more likely to suffer from hypertension than are non-Hispanic whites.
• Over 14,000 deaths each year are attributed to hypertension.
• Complications include: heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, and blindness.

Source: Health, United States, 2000
American Heart Association
National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 48, No. 11

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE

• According to Advance Data 255, the average daily intake of fat grams for the period 1988-91, totaled 96 grams for males and 67 for females.
• It is recommended that the number of fat grams not exceed 25 grams of fat per day.

Physical Activity:

• People who are usually inactive can improve their health and well-being by becoming even moderately active on a regular basis.
• Physical activity need not be strenuous to achieve health benefits.
• Greater health benefits can be achieved by increasing the amount (duration, frequency, or intensity) of physical activity.

Benefits of Regular Physical Activity:
Source of the following information: Centers for Disease Control,
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
Regular physical activity that is performed on most days of the week reduces the risk of developing or dying from some of the leading causes of illness and death in the United States. Regular physical activity improves health in the following ways:

• Reduces the risk of dying prematurely.
• Reduces the risk of dying from heart disease.
• Reduces the risk of developing diabetes.
• Reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure.
• Helps reduce blood pressure in people who already have high blood pressure.
• Helps control weight.
• Helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints.
• Helps older adults become stronger and better able to move about without falling.

Examples of Moderate Amounts of Activity:

• Washing and waxing a car for 45-60 minutes
• Playing volleyball for 45 minutes
• Playing touch football for 30-45 minutes
• Gardening for 30-45 minutes
• Walking 1 3/4 miles in 35 minutes (or 20 minutes per mile)
• Basketball (shooting baskets) for 30 minutes
• Playing a Basketball game for 15-20 minutes
• Bicycling 5 miles in 30 minutes
• Pushing a stroller 1 mile in 30 minutes
• Water aerobics for 30 minutes
• Swimming laps for 20 minutes
• Jumping rope for 15 minutes
• Stairwalking for 15 minutes

NOTE: To avoid soreness and injury, individuals contemplating an increase in physical activity should start out slowly and gradually build up to the desire amount to give the body time to adjust. Please consult a physician before beginning a new program of physical activity.

ORGAN DONATION

According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), there are more than 100,000 persons on the national transplant waiting list.

• 16 persons die each day waiting for a life saving organ transplant.
• Every 16 minutes, a new name is added to the national waiting list.

Source: UNOS
Minorities Form More Than Half Of
Kidney Transplant Waiting List*

NOTE: To avoid soreness and injury, individuals contemplating an increase in physical activity should start out slowly and gradually build up to the desire amount to give the body time to adjust. Please consult a physician before beginning a new program of physical activity.