Kidney disease affects 60 million Americans every year!

You don't have to be a grown up to have kidney disease. Anyone at any age can have it. Although most forms of childhood kidney disease cannot be prevented, many types of adulthood kidney disease can. I will help you understand more about kidney disease and things you can do now to help prevent it.

I'm Jake. I like to explore new things, so when I found out that one of my friends has kidney disease, I decided to investigate!

Guess what? The more questions I asked, the more I learned about other cool things like transplanting organs from one person to another.

But first I had to understand the basic facts.

Make a fist with your hand. You have two kidneys and each one of them is about the size of your fist. They're located in your back, just below your rib cage.

You probably know what a filter is. Your parents may use a filter to make coffee at home or you may have a filter in your fish tank. Your kidneys act like filters for your body, removing things you don't need (including excess fluid).

Part of everything you swallow goes through your kidneys!

Millions of Americans have kidney disease and don't know it!

Everyday your kidneys filter about 200 quarts of fluid. Only about two quarts of the fluid leave your body in the form of urine - the rest stays in your body after being cleaned by the kidneys.

The kidneys have three important jobs:
1. They help with the production of hormones that help control blood pressure;
2. They control the production of red blood cells to prevent problems like anemia that can make you feel weak or tired;
3. They help with the production of vitamins that control growth and make your bones strong.

A nephroplogist is a doctor who treats kidney disease. You don't have to be a doctor to recognize the signs and symptoms.

Six warning signs that could indicate kidney disease:

1. Burning or difficulty during urination
2. More frequent urination, particularly at night
3. Appearance of blood in urine
4. Puffiness around eyes and swelling of hands and feet
5. High blood pressure
6. Pain in small of back just below ribs (not made worse by movement)

There are many types of kidney problems. Some are more serious than others. Some causes of adulthood kidney disease, like diabetes and high blood pressure, can be managed or prevented with a healthy lifestyle. Nearly all forms of kidney disease can be treated to help patients live longer, healthier lives.

While most kids with kidney disease are born with it, many adults develop kidney disease because of bad lifestyle habits or poorly managed medical conditions.

The worst kind of kidney disease is called end stage renal disease. The most common causes of end stage renal disease are diabetes and high blood pressure.

The third leading cause of kidney disease is a condition that damages part of the kidney that removes excess wastes and fluids. This condition may be inherited or triggered by an infection.

Other factors that contribute to kidney disease include injuries, overuse of some pain medications like aspirin and use of illegal drugs.

Kidney Stones

Kidney stones can get as big as golf balls!

Kidney stones are a common problem, affecting about half a million people each year. Men are more prone to kidney stones than women. In some cases, the doctor will use a bathtub like machine that uses painless shock waves to break up the stones.

Nine facts about diabetes and kidney disease

1. Diabetes is a disease that prevents the body from using sugar properly, which allows sugar to build up in the blood. Over time, diabetes can cause a lot of damage to your body.
2. Diabetes can be managed with diet and medication.
3. Diabetes is the single leading cause of chronic kidney failure in the United States.
4. Diabetic kidney disease is more common among certain minority groups such as African Americans and Native Americans.
5. There are two types of diabetes. Both can lead to kidney failure.
6. Diabetes is the most common disorder among children related to the way the body breaks down food use.
7. In addition to the kidneys, diabetes damages other parts of the body including skin, nerves, muscles, intestines, heart and eyes.
8. For diabetics, high blood pressure often signals the development of kidney problems.
   The longer you have diabetes, the greater your risk of developing kidney disease.
9. Since there is no cure for diabetic kidney disease, treatment involves controlloing the disorder so it will not lead to kidney problems.
   

The Link to High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is one of the most common causes of kidney problems. Uncontrolled high blood pressure is the second leading cause of chronic kidney failure in the United States.

Severe high blood pressure causes the kidneys to fail quickly, but even mild forms of high blood pressure can damage the kidneys over several years. There may not even be symptoms until severe damage has already occurred.

About one out of four adults (and 3 % of children under the age of 18) have high blood pressure. One third of the people who have high blood pressure are not aware of it.

The bad news is, more people are diagnosed with kidney disease every day.
The good news is, kidney disease can be treated and in some cases prevented altogether!

Keep Your Kidneys Healthy!
If you have high blood pressure or diabetes, be sure to follow your doctors orders and take any medication that is prescribed to you.

Get regular check ups that include tests for blood pressure, blood sugar and kidney function.

Drink plenty of water everyday.

Exercise regularly.

Eat a balanced diet and avoid foods with too much salt and sugar.

Scientists and doctors are working every day to find better ways to treat and prevent kidney disease. People who do develop kidney disease have several treatment options, depending on their condition.

People with end stage renal disease may get tired very easily and feel sick to their stomach. They may also have weakness, confusion and a loss of appetite.

With hemodialysis, the kidney patient goes to the dialysis center several times a week. The patient is attached to a machine that does the work for the kidneys.

With peritoneal dialysis, the kidney patient puts dialysis liquid in their abdomen through a surgically-placed tube. The dialysis liquid draws excess fluids and impurities from the body and is then drained out.

More than 7.000 people in Alabama are on dialysis!

Although dialysis allows people to live with end stage renal disease, the best form of treatment is a kidney transplant. With a transplant, a donated kidney is put in place of the diseased kidney. People who have kidney transplants do very well and typically lead a very normal life. One of your friends may be a transplant patient, and you didn't even know it!

Since people only need one kidney to survive, a family member might donate the new kidney.

The new kidney may come from an organ bank that works with hospitals to help families who are considering organ donation. Many people tell their families that they want to donate their organs if they die from an injury.

Being an organ donor means saving lives. In fact, there are thousands of people in Alabama on the national waiting list for a kidney transplant. Visit www.legacyalabama.org to become an organ donor today. It's also a good idea to tell your family if you are interested in being an organ donor.

Remember to take good care of your kidneys!