Health Care

Brian Lipps, M.D.

Do You Have a Risk Factor for Kidney Disease?

Most people with chronic kidney disease and early kidney failure do not have symptoms and thus do not know they have it. If you have any of the following causes of or risk factors for kidney disease, you should talk to your doctor about undergoing kidney disease screening and how to best protect your kidneys.

• History of Diabetes Mellitus

  Diabetes is the number one cause of or risk factor for chronic kidney disease. It is responsible for 30-40% of new cases of kidney failure requiring dialysis, usually occurring a decade or more after diagnosis. Developing kidney failure from diabetes is not inevitable. Tight control of ones blood sugar and blood pressure can help slow down, if not prevent kidney failure. Screening and early diagnosis is key.

  Diabetic Nephropathy

• History of High Blood Pressure

  High blood pressure is the second most common cause of or risk factor for kidney disease.Along with diabetes, it is responsible for over two-thirds of kidney failure requiring dialysis. Because it is both a cause and an effect of kidney failure, it can sometimes be difficult to know which came first.

  Regardless of the cause, once kidney disease is established, uncontrolled high blood pressure leads to blood vessel damage and the acceleration of kidney failure. As a result, tight control of blood pressure is one of the most important things that can be done to prevent or slow down the progression of kidney disease.

• Family History of Kidney Disease

  If you have one or more family members with kidney disease or on dialysis, particularly if it is a parent or sibling, you are at higher risk for kidney disease. This is particularly true if diabetes, high blood pressure or other illnesses known to affect the kidneys runs in your family. Certain kidney diseases caused by genetic defects, such as polycystic kidney disease, are strongly hereditary. So, if kidney disease runs in your family, you need to let your doctor know so you can be screened and better monitored.

  Polystic kidney disease

• Being of a Certain Race

  Having a certain ancestry can increase your risk for kidney disease, even kidney disease doesn’t run in your family. The highest risk is for African Americans but you are still at higher risk if you Hispanic, American Indian, or a Pacific Islander. By itself, your ethnicity isn’t usually enough of a reason to be screened for kidney disease, but it should raise your level of awareness.

• Being Older

  The risk of getting kidney disease increases with age. In fact, the elderly is one of the fastest demographic groups starting dialysis. The main reason that older people are at higher risk for kidney disease is because they tend to be sicker than younger people. They are more likely to have an illness that is associated with kidney disease or receive an insult to their kidneys, such as from an acute illness or a medication.

  Another factor is that starting around age 35, the kidneys start to gradually lose some of its function. By the time most people reach age 80, they have lost about 30% of their kidney mass. By itself, aging of the kidney will not lead to severe kidney failure, but it means that you have less reserve if you do develop a kidney problem. So, if you are older, you should take to your doctor about measuring your kidney function and how you can protect your kidneys, even if you don’t actually have a kidney disease.