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| Healthy Start |
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A Healthy Start: Living well with kidney disease The Healthy Start Clinic is unique to National Renal Care. The primary function of this program is to educate and manage patients with early kidney disease. The aim is to ensure that the patient remains as healthy as possible and maintains a high quality of life. Preventative strategies include early detection and treatment, meticulous hypertension control, strict glycaemia control, anaemia management and appropriate dietary and lifestyle changes. All our centers countrywide offer this program, which includes education, dietary advice and psychosocial support.
Chronic kidney disease is a major health problem with the incidence steadily growing over the last few years. The commonest causes of kidney failure, diabetes mellitus and hypertension also are independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Individuals at risk for chronic kidney disease also include family members of patients with end stage kidney disease. Family members of chronic kidney disease patients are often unaware of existing renal disease. For people who still have some kidney function, there are many ways to keep the kidneys functioning for longer. |
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Where to begin? Visit your doctor regularly. If your doctor finds you are at risk for kidney disease, or are showing signs of kidney disease, he or she will take several steps to improve your health. You will have a common goal: to slow progression of the disease, and to delay dialysis. First your doctor will want to determine the cause and whether the cause is reversible or not. If the cause is an underlying condition like diabetes or hypertension, your doctor will assist you in trying to control this condition. Lifestyle and diet changes may also be initiated. Dieticians play a significant role in helping patients delay kidney failure. This kind of intervention, however, may be effective only if the signs of kidney disease are diagnosed early. |
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Ways to maintain your kidney health include:
| Visiting your doctor early, and regularly. |
| Following your doctor's advice. |
| Maintaining good blood glucose control if you are diabetic. |
| Following your doctor's orders to control your blood pressure, if you have high blood pressure. |
| Learning about symptoms of kidney disease. |
| Taking prescribed medications. |
| Taking over the counter medications only with the approval of your doctor. |
| Taking dietary supplements or vitamins only with the approval of your doctor. |
| Seeking support. |
| Staying positive.
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| For people with early kidney disease, taking these steps may help delay kidney failure. |
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Remember |
| Managing illness early is much better for your health and much better for you than waiting until your kidneys have stopped functioning. When it comes to kidney disease, most patients prefer to have as little disruption to their lifestyle as possible, and a sense that they have some control over this situation. While there is no absolute cure for kidney failure, learning and taking special action can give you an important sense of control. Ask your doctor and nurse for advice. |
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Urine Tests |
| There are two types of urine tests. One type requires a small amount of urine. It tells a doctor if there is blood, infection, protein, or cells in the urine. The other type requires collecting all the urine produced for a certain amount of time, usually 24 hours. This test will show how much urine your kidneys produce in one day. It also measures how much protein is passed from the kidneys into the urine in one day. Your doctor will be able to see if your protein levels are normal. Your doctor may also measure the amount of waste from muscle cells (called creatinine) or from the protein you eat (called urea) in your urine to see how well the kidneys are functioning. |
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Blood Tests |
Everyone's blood test results are different. They are affected by 3 things:
1. What the person eats.
2. How well the person's kidneys are functioning.
3. How much urine the person passes and how much waste leaves the body through the urine. |
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Symptoms of kidney disease |
Early on, people may not have any symptoms to tell them that their kidneys are not functioning properly. That is why regular physicals, with blood tests and urine tests, are so important. Test results may show signs of kidney disease even when a patient feels fine. As the kidney disease progresses, a person may feel sick sometimes. But the change may be so slow that he or she does not do anything about these feelings. Symptoms may also be due to another illness or problem.
Complete kidney failure, however causes many changes in the body, and people feel some stronger symptoms. Symptoms may vary from person to person. One person may experience many of the symptoms that follow, but another person may not. |
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Feeling generally sick |
| When the kidneys begin to fail, waste products will build up in the blood. This may cause a person to feel generally sick. Symptoms may include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite, itching, and/or disturbed sleep. |
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Fluid Retention |
| The kidney may produce less urine, which may cause extra fluid to build up in the body. This is called oedema. People with this problem may have swollen hands and ankles. They may gain fluid weight, and/or may be short of breath doing activities such as walking or climbing a few stairs. |
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Ameamia |
| The body will not produce as many red blood cells when the kidneys are not working. People with anaemia may feel weak, cold and tired. A drug that acts like the body's own hormone, erythropoietin, stimulates the production of red blood cells. The drug may be used to treat this type of anaemia. |
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Toxin build up |
| When the kidneys are not working to clean the blood, waste products called toxins will build up in the body. This may cause fatigue, loss of appetite, and may make the person's skin feel itchy. |
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Other symptoms may include: |
| Headache |
Puffiness around the eyse |
| Diarrhoea |
Decreased sexual interest |
| Increased thirst |
Feeling cold |
| Drowsiness or confusion |
Decrease of urine output |
| Trouble concentrating |
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The function of the Health Start Clinic is primarily to educate and manage patients with early renal disease. The aim is to ensure that the patient remains as healthy as possible and maintains a high standard of living.
The Healthy Start Clinic is unique to National Renal Care and all our centers country wide offers this program which includes education, dietary advice, management and psycho-social support for both the patient and family.
Contact (011) 726 5206 or your nearest centre for further information. |
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