Posted on 06/24/2018 6:39:51 AM PDT by ConservativeMind
Doctors have long known that patients with diabetes are at risk for kidney disease. But the new study shows that patients could be suffering undiagnosed kidney damage even before they are aware that they have diabetes.
...the researchers found that more than 30 percent of diabetic veterans had prior CKD signs.
The results appeared in the Feb. 9, 2018, issue of the journal PLoS One.
About 10 percent of the U.S. population -- around 20 million people -- have CKD. Diabetes is the leading cause of CKD and end-stage renal disease. One-third of adults with diabetes have CKD. Other conditions that often co-occur with diabetes, such as cardiovascular disease, also raise the risk of kidney disease.
While CKD is silent, it can also lead to a higher risk of various complications such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and death.
The results suggest that kidney damage often occurs before diabetes is diagnosed, say the researchers. They propose two possible reasons for this early kidney damage: Type 2 diabetes can be undiagnosed for a long time, meaning the kidneys are being damaged without the patient or doctors being aware. Or, kidney damage could come from other conditions common in the population at risk for diabetes.
...early laboratory testing is needed because CKD often does not have outward signs. "Chronic kidney disease is silent, so patients can develop even advanced stages of chronic kidney disease before noticing anything. The only way to detect it in...individuals is through laboratory measurement, i.e., serum creatinine and urine albumin. Serum creatinine is measured very frequently among veterans, but an abnormal value would only diagnose stage 3 and above of chronic kidney disease. Urine albumin screening would be a way to identify early stages, but the use of this screening test is mostly limited to diabetics.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...
The blood and urine blood tests that could help identify this can be free with a life insurance health screening.
I guess I should stop drinking.
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