Dr. Susan Alex works with Dr. Ram Chary, Dr. Joe Joglekar and Dr. Murty Narapareddy at West Tennessee Kidney Specialists. Nearly all of their patients are referred to them by other physicians. For more information on the clinic…
Nephrologists join to open West Tennessee Kidney Specialists
Other stories with our doctors
Your risk for kidney disease
Anyone can get chronic kidney disease at any age. However, some people are more likely than others to develop kidney disease. You may have an increased risk for kidney disease if you:
• Have diabetes
• Have high blood pressure
• Have a family history of chronic kidney disease
• Have glomerulonephritis, polycystic kidney disease, alport syndrome, urologic problems with obstruction, reflux or stone disease
• Belong to a population group that has a high rate of diabetes or high blood pressure, such as African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asians, Pacific Islanders, and American Indians.
For more information, go to www.kidney.org.
Symptoms of Kidney Disease
Most people may not have any severe symptoms until their kidney disease is advanced. However, patients may notice that they:
• Feel more tired and have less energy
• Have trouble concentrating
• Have a poor appetite
• Have trouble sleeping
• Have muscle cramping at night
• Have swollen feet and ankles
• Have puffiness around the eyes, especially in the morning
• Have dry, itchy skin
• Need to urinate more often, especially at night.
Chronic kidney disease on the increase
 |
| Dr. Susan Alex, who specializes in kidney disease, examines Jessie Craig, a patient. |
Poor lifestyle choices are contributing to the increase in kidney disease; 20 million Americans (one in every nine people) have the disease and 400,000 of them are on dialysis because their kidneys no longer function adequately. By 2010, an estimated 651,000 people will be on dialysis.
The kidneys play an big role in maintaining our health by ridding the body of unwanted wastes, balancing the body’s fluids and helping to regulate blood pressure and production of red blood cells.
Chronic kidney disease can lead to kidney failure, which means you must have dialysis or a kidney transplant to stay alive.
The increase in kidney disease alarms physicians like Dr. Alex. That’s why she strongly encourages being tested for kidney disease, particularly if you are at risk.
“We can diagnose kidney disease much earlier than before,” she says. And with earlier diagnosis comes the greater likelihood of being able to control the disease, she adds. “Once kidney disease starts, the aim is to delay its progress. We can’t cure someone of kidney disease, but we can try to slow down its progression. Treatment goals include preventing disease progression and complications. Special emphasis is placed on prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic kidney disease.”
Most of the time, kidney disease has no symptoms, she says. It is most often detected by some basic tests: measuring blood pressure, a urine test that checks for excessive protein, and a test for blood creatinine and calculating how much function your kidneys have. The good news is that most physicians will routinely check for kidney disease when a patient is at risk because of high blood pressure, diabetes, or a family history of the disease.
Many times, kidney disease can be treated successfully by adopting healthy lifestyle habits, including a good diet.
Those who lose their kidney function will need dialysis or a transplant. Hemodialysis can be done at a clinic three times a week; some patients prefer peritonea dialysis, which is done at home with a catheter inside the abdominal cavity.
If a transplant patient does not have a relative who would be a good kidney donor, the patient often needs to wait up to three years for another donor kidney to become available, Dr. Alex says.
“Early detection of kidney disease and the control of risk factors have helped a lot in treating the disease,” she says.
Even better, though, is to practice a healthy lifestyle so that you are not at risk for kidney disease. Dr. Alex recommends…
• Eating a good diet that is low in sodium, cholesterol, and red and processed meats and one that is high in vegetables, fruit and complex carbohydrates, such as whole wheat and bran.
• Exercising regularly.
• Avoiding medicines that can affect kidneys.
• Controlling other risks, such as high blood sugar and high blood pressure.
“A healthy diet and exercise will go a long way in preventing kidney disease, high blood pressure and many other problems,” Dr. Alex says. “The diet I’m talking about is good for me, for you, and our children.”