How To Reduce The Risk Of Chronic Kidney Disease?

Dr Reetesh Sharma shares five practices to reduce chronic kidney disease risk.

Kidney diseases are of two types, acute and chronic. While the former results from damage occurring to the kidney over a matter of hours to days. The latter, chronic kidney disease (CKD), is referred to when the kidneys suffer irreversible and progressive damage beyond three months. Other causes include stone disease, immune system diseases, congenital diseases like polycystic kidney disease and long-term viral illnesses, such as HIV and AIDS, hepatitis B. Use some medications over prolonged periods, including NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and IV street drugs --, can permanently damage your kidneys. Director & Head - Nephrology & Kidney Transplant Medicine, Dr Reetesh Sharma, Asian Hospital Faridabad, shares five practices to reduce chronic kidney disease risk.

1. Practice a Healthy lifestyle: A healthy lifestyle includes consuming a balanced and nutritious diet, regular exercise, and avoiding vices like smoking. A diet plan that includes fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, seeds and nuts and is also less in sodium, sugars, fats and red meats helps lower blood pressure and keeps blood sugar levels in check.
2. Manage Blood Sugar: Several factors, including those out of a person's control, such as hormones, illness, or stress, influence blood sugar levels. Over time, high blood sugar levels can cause blood vessels inside the kidneys to narrow down and clog, causing damage to the blood vessels and, in turn, harming the kidneys.
3. Go for regular check-ups: It's easy to take our body for granted, but an emergency often comes unannounced. Take proper care of your body. Take time for regular check-ups, and your doctor can assess kidney function with simple tests to determine how well your kidneys are working to remove waste from your body.
4. Keep your blood pressure under control: It damages your kidneys and pushes your chances of getting kidney disease. If you suffer from high blood pressure, your doctor may prescribe medicines to keep it under control.
5. Avoid using too many pain medicines: Using excess and especially at high doses, reduces flow to the kidney, causing damage to kidney tissue.