Risk factors for developing CKD and how to reduce your risk

Risk Factors For Developing CKD And How To Reduce Your Risk

Chronic kidney disease is generally a progressive kidney function loss over the time of months or years. The kidneys work to keep a person healthy by cleaning wastes from their blood with the help of millions of tiny filters, which is called as called nephrons. In case these nephrons are damaged, they start to shut down. In the end, there is not much left to filter the blood well enough to keep individuals healthy and they start to feel the symptoms of chronic Kidney Disease.

However, till the time a person notices the symptoms, CKD is generally at an advanced stage. Also, a person can lose up to almost 90% of their kidney functiontioning before experiencing any symptoms at all. This is the reason why every one in ten people are suffering and living with CKD; however, most of them are not even aware of it.

If left untreated, chronic kidney disease progresses from Stage 1 to Stage 5. Stage 5 is also known as End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), which basically means that proper treatment for kidney disease is needed for a person to survive.

Chronic kidney diseases risk factors include - Older age, low birth weight, obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, a family history of kidney disease, and being of African-American descent.

Risk Factors For Chronic Kidney Disease

There are several risk factors associated with the development of chronic kidney disease. These include. These can be considered as being predisposing and/or initiating factors-

 Being Older

Chronic Kidney Disease is much more common in people who are 65 years old or older as compared to people aged 45 to 64 years or 18 to 44 years.

 Family History

Family members of chronic kidney disease patients have a high prevalence of chronic kidney disease. Thus, it is advised that people with chronic kidney disease should have high-risk family members screened.

 Diabetes

Diabetic kidney disease is a leading cause of chronic kidney disease all over the world. It develops in in nearly 40% of patients suffering from diabetes. This condition affects two of every five people with diabetes and is the commonest cause of end-stage kidney disease.

 Uncontrolled High Blood Pressure

Hypertension is also one of the major risk factors for chronic kidney disease. Lasting high blood pressure can result in the development of chronic kidney disease. Other than this, many risk factors lead to chronic kidney disease. These include cigarette smoking, high cholesterol, obesity, kidney stones, kidney infection, having sustained previous damage to the kidneys and many more.

How To Reduce The Risk Of Chronic Kidney Disease

Healthy Diet

 Consuming a healthy balanced diet reduces the risk of kidney disease by controlling cholesterol and high blood pressure. A healthy balanced diet includes - plenty of vegetables and fruit

 Meals, including starchy foods, for example, potatoes, pasta, whole grain bread, rice some dairy or dairy alternatives.

 Some beans or pulses, meat, fish, or eggs as a source of protein

 Food with low levels of saturated fat, sugar and salt.

 One might also be advised dietary changes that specifically can help with kidney disease, like limiting the phosphate or potassium in the diet.

Exercise Regularly

Exercising regularly helps lower blood pressure and reduce a person’s risk of developing kidney disease. Moderate Exercising At least 2 hours and 30 minutes, such as fast walking or cycling or fast walking, every week is suggested, as well as strength exercises on two or more days a week that work all the major muscles such as the abdomen, legs, chest, hips, back, arms ad shoulders.

Manage Underlying Conditions

If a person is suffering from a long-term condition that might lead to CKD, like high blood pressure or diabetes, therefore, this must be managed carefully. One must follow the advice of their general practitioner, take medications that are prescribed and keep up with all the appointments related to one’s condition.

Manage Alcohol Intake

Consuming an excess of alcohol causes a rise in cholesterol levels and high blood pressure to unhealthy levels. If a person sticks to the recommended alcohol limit then it is the best way to reduce their risk.

Stop Smoking

Smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, which includes strokes or heart attacks, which is associated with a higher risk of chronic kidney disease. Stopping smoking will result in improvement in general health and also reduces the chances of these serious conditions.