Did you know? According to the National Kidney Foundation, one in three American adults are at risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD). Kidney disease is permanent damage to the kidney or reduced kidney function over a time period of at least three months. Kidney disease is more common than you may think. Right now over a million adult Michigan residents have CKD. Detecting CKD early can lead to more successful treatment. Many people have kidney disease without knowing it because few or no symptoms are present early on. It’s important to be educated about your risk for developing CKD and the action steps you can take to prevent or treat it.
The Thumb Community Health Partnership (TCHP) recently announced a collaboration with the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan (NKFM). TCHP and the NKFM are teaming up to increase community awareness of kidney disease. These efforts include a campaign called “Are You in the 33%?” The campaign is part of the National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Risk Campaign™ and highlights the 33% of individuals who are risk for kidney disease nationwide.
Although people with kidney disease may have no symptoms or only mild symptoms during the initial stages, CKD is a serious condition. CKD can lead to kidney failure. Individuals with kidney failure require dialysis or a kidney transplant to live. A goal of the “Are You in the 33%?” campaign is to make the public more aware of kidney health and the importance of detecting and treating CKD early.
Some individuals are at higher risk for CKD than others. Your family history and ethnicity are among the factors impacting how likely it is that you will develop CKD. Additional risk factors include diabetes, high blood pressure, and being 60 years old or older.
What can you do to keep your kidneys healthy? Find out if you are part of the 33% of adults at risk for CKD by taking the Kidney Risk Quiz at https://kidneymi.org/kidney_quiz. Be sure to attend routine medical check-ups and get your blood pressure and blood sugar checked regularly. Ask your primary care physician for a kidney urine and blood test. Results from these two simple tests will give you a baseline for your kidney health and tell your doctor how well your kidneys are functioning.
For more information about kidney health projects and TCHP’s awareness campaign, please contact Kay Balcer, TCHP Network Director at 989-553-2927 or balcer@thumbhealth.org.
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