Your Kidneys: Do You Know These Facts?
1. Kidneys are important because they:
- Filter blood
- Keep the right amount of fluids in the body
- Help make red blood cells
- Help keep blood pressure under control
2. Risk factors for kidney disease include:
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Being 60 years or older
- Having a family member with kidney disease, diabetes, or high blood pressure
- Being African American/Black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, American Indian, or Alaska Native
3. Over time, kidney disease can:
- Get worse
- Lead to kidney failure
- Cause heart and blood vessel disease
- Cause other health problems
4. People with risk factors should get tested regularly because:
- In the early stages of kidney disease, most people don’t have symptoms
- Kidney disease can be treated
5. Tests to find kidney disease include:
- A simple urine test called ACR (albumin-to-creatinine ratio). Having protein in the urine is a sign of kidney disease.
- A simple blood test to estimate your GFR (glomerular filtration rate). GFR is the best way to tell how well your kidneys are working.
6. Some ways to protect kidneys are:
- Keep blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol under control
- Lose weight, if needed
- Eat healthy meals
- Take all medicines as prescribed
- Get regular exercise
- Don’t smoke
- Limit alcohol
- Avoid some over-the-counter medicines (such as aspirin, naxoproxin, or ibuprofen) because they can harm kidneys