Prevention of kidney disease : The ten commandments

Dr Sanjeev Gulati *

Years ago Benjamin Franklin said that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. In 2019 this adage still holds good, specially when we are talking about kidney diseases. The World Kidney Day is on 14th March and the aim is to increase the awareness of Kidney diseases worldwide. It is never too late to learn and let go behaviours that are damaging your body. Just because you have two kidneys doesn’t mean that you can take things for granted.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a silent killer and symptoms are few and non specific and come very late. Hence most patients with CKD present very late to the nephrologists. Once the CKD is advanced and has reached Stage 5then Dialysis or Kidney transplant is the only option. At this stage there is no role at all of any alternative therapies. Here are 10 commandemnts which if we all follow can help protect us from kidney damage :

1. Avoid Excessive weight gain :Excessive weight gain is not a good sign of healthy body and kidney as it directly puts pressure on your kidney filters besides also causing hypertension. If you havegained excessive weight in short duration of time you must consult a doctor and get screened for kidney disease.

2. Avoid inappropriate or excessive use of pain killers- popping over the counter pain killers for headaches, backaches, tummy aches and other pain is not good practice. The longer you pop pain killers without prescriptions the more it can damage your kidney.

3. Avoid use of herbal medications: there are several reports of kidney damage following intake of Chinese as well as Indian herbal preparations. Until we have robust scientific data it is advisable to avoid quacks who prescribe these untested preparations.

4. Keep your BP under good control. Un-controlled blood pressure results in kidney damage as they are putting extra pressure on your kidney function. It doesn’t matter how young or old you are, you must get your blood sugar and blood pressure checked on regular basis. In case you have high blood pressure (>120/80) please consult your doctor for need of any medications and monitor BP periodically to ensure that it is in the target range.

5. Keep your blood sugar under control. Un-controlled diabetes results in kidney damage If you are diabetic then please monitor your blood sugars regularly and consult your diabetologist. Diabetes is the commonest cause of CKD in our country.

6. Avoid Junk food as this is is high in salt and saturated fats and bad for your kidneys. Even the beverages that you take alongwith contribute to high uric acid formation and weight gain and put pressure on your kidneys. Hence if you want to protect your self form kidney disease eat a DASH diet rich in fruits , green elafy vegetables, nuts and low fat dairy products .

7. Ensure gppd water intake is the harmful for your kidneys. We tend drink water according to weather and not according to our body type & size. The less water youtake, the higher are the chances of kidney stone formation . Please ensure that you take 10 -12 glasses of water daily

8. Have regularf physical activity as sedentary life style can cause high blood pressure and Diabetes and result in kidney damage. The physical activity makes your body parts active and results in slowing of aging of kidneys.

9. Have regular health checkup. We all tend to get our send or car or two wheeler to the garage for a service but ignore our body. The only way you can diagnose kidney disease early is through simple blood tests and urine tests and ultrasound. Hence if have a family history of kidney disease or are over 50 years of age or have Diabetes or Hypertension or are overweight you must get annual health checkup.

10. Do not smoke! Don’t start smoking and if you do smoke quit immediately. Smoking is harmful for all your organs including kidneys as well. It reduces blood supply to your kidneys, increases blood pressure and is even more harmful if you have weak kidneys.

Hence if you want to have a healthy kidney then you must follow these 10 commnadments in letter and spirit.