Kidney Awareness Month
The National Kidney Foundation is raising awareness throughout the month of March about the importance of kidney health, and guarding against kidney disease. Located at the small of you back, the kidneys are extremely important organs, filtering on average 200 liters of blood a day in order to regulate blood pressure and filter waste and toxins from the body. But they are also prone to disease and infection, which can be caused by a variety of factors, from high blood pressure and diabetes, to family history.
It’s important to get screenings to make sure you are keeping your kidney healthy. Certain factors like old age (60 >), high blood pressure and diabetes increase your risk of kidney disease or failure. Other risks like obesity, chronic urinary tract infections, and long-term usage of over the counter pain medications like ibuprofen can also increase your risk.
Symptoms of kidney disease include:
- Fatigue, weakness
- Difficult, painful urination
- Foamy urine
- Pink, dark urine (blood in urine)
- Increased thirst
- Increased need to urinate (especially at night)
- Puffy eyes
- Swollen face, hands, abdomen, ankles, feet
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, consider talking to your doctor about getting screened for kidney disease with blood or urine tests.
Staying healthy and active will help protect your kidneys against disease and failure. If you are at risk, cutting out smoking, and cutting down on consuming alcohol and sodium-rich foods will help lower your risk.
