Nearly 80 million individuals in the United States alone are at high risk of kidney disease due to the coexistence of other medical conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Of those 80 million high-risk individuals, 30 million proceed to develop kidney disease.

 

The other unfortunate fact is that many who have chronic kidney disease don’t even know they have it. Most people never even consider the health of their kidneys until they find out that they have kidney disease.

 

These issues make it imperative to strive for better health by improving lifestyle through diet and exercise and prioritizing regular medical check-ups with a primary care provider.

 

In what follows, we’ll be detailing the characteristics of kidney disease, its main causes and risk factors, as well as the primary mechanisms available to manage and even prevent kidney disease altogether.

 

Characteristics of the Kidney and Kidney Disease

 

The primary function of the kidneys is to filter and cleanse the blood of toxins and waste and pass those products on to be excreted by urination. The kidneys produce over a liter of urine per day from filtering through about 200 liters of fluid per day.

 

The kidneys also play a major role in the regulation of hormones that have effects on blood pressure. Other kidney functions include the control of red blood cell production and vitamin D production.

 

When the kidneys become damaged, their ability to function efficiently becomes impaired, and  several signs and symptoms can occur, including:

 

• Nausea and vomiting
• Muscle spasms and cramps
• Swelling of the extremities
• Dry skin
• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Irregular urination
• Loss of appetite

 

Main Causes of Kidney Disease

 

The two primary causes of kidney disease are high blood pressure and diabetes. Both conditions can have major effects on the kidneys.

 High Blood Pressure

 High blood pressure is of primary concern to the health of the kidneys because it directly affects the flow of blood to the kidneys and causes damage to the kidney tissue, thus impairing their normal function. With a lack of fluid filtering, impaired kidney function is likely to further exacerbate the cycle, increasing high blood pressure even more.

Diabetes

In the condition of diabetes, individuals who do not maintain good control of their blood sugar will spend prolonged periods of time with elevated blood sugar. High blood sugar or hyperglycemia will cause an increased amount of blood flow into the kidneys. This increased blood flow causes damage to the kidney blood vessels, and they will begin to leak more protein into the urine. This extra protein will cause the filtration system in the kidneys to stop working well, and eventually, the kidneys will fail.

Prevention of Kidney Disease

Since the known main causes of kidney disease are diabetes and high blood pressure, it follows that the effective method to prevent kidney disease is to prevent high blood pressure and diabetes.

Some things are indeed unavoidable, and family history and genetic predisposition to high blood pressure and diabetes can make it difficult to prevent these conditions and prevent their complications. Yet so many individuals do nothing actively to achieve the best possible health they can.

The other truth is that making efforts to achieve good health and working to prevent or improve the status of medical conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes can significantly decrease the risk of kidney disease. These efforts also can help keep mild kidney disease from turning into severe kidney disease.

 

For those who have normal blood pressure levels yet who want to avoid the potential for its exacerbation, it’s imperative to prioritize lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise. Understanding that obesity and high sodium intake are strongly correlated with the development of high blood pressure, the action to take is to consume a diet lower in sodium and partake in weight-loss activities.

For those who already live with high blood pressure, measures can still be taken to manage or even reverse the presence of high blood pressure. These measures also include lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise.

Type 2 diabetes, though of major concern to the development of kidney disease and other health complications, can also be managed well and potentially reversed. The most effective action is weight loss and diet, but, if necessary, optimum medical management of blood sugar can also be preventative of the complication of kidney disease.

Final Thoughts

 

Kidney disease will often worsen if not managed well, and this can lead to end stage renal disease. It’s good to know that a strong effort to make changes in lifestyle and to develop appropriate diet and exercise and weight management can prevent the disease from ever occurring.

If you do the things necessary to prevent either diabetes or high blood pressure, then healthy kidneys are the likely outcome.

Laboratory Testing for Preventative Health   

Title: Laboratory Testing for Preventative Health

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 In order to detect early disease and implement timely interventions, it’s imperative that individuals schedule and partake in regular medical check-ups with a primary care provider for routine testing and examination.

While the testing needed will vary depending on an individual’s age, current health status, and various risk factors, screening laboratory testing is such a useful tool in medical management for the individual and primary provider. Although it will ultimately be up to the provider’s discretion as to what type of laboratory testing is needed, it’s very important that the individual be proactive in seeking and inquiring about such testing.

 

In what follows, we’ll be discussing about basic laboratory testing, particularly for preventative medicine. Further, we’ll discuss some of the various standard types of laboratory screening tests for prevalent health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.

Basic Types of Screening Laboratory Tests

Laboratory testing helps to contribute significantly to the improvement and betterment of an individual’s health by providing critical information in the management and prevention of disease.

Testing is so useful for establishing patterns and monitoring health. For example, if a new health condition develops, the timing of onset can be better determined with regular testing. In addition, further testing will help monitor how effective a treatment for a specific illness is.

 

From neonatal screenings all the way to geriatric and palliative care screenings, laboratory tests continue to aid the care of individuals throughout the healthcare system.

The following are some examples of the types of laboratory tests used in preventative health:

 

• Cholesterol and Lipid Profiling for Heart Disease
• HbA1c for Diabetes
• PSA for Prostate Cancer

Cholesterol and Lipid Profiling

Heart disease is the most prevalent health condition in the United States, causing over 650,000 deaths annually in the United States alone. Cardiovascular disease is also characterized as the leading cause of death globally.

 

Because of its prevalence rate, heart disease should be evaluated by any helpful method, and blood test screening has proven very useful over recent years. Since high cholesterol and lipid levels have a correlation with heart disease, monitoring these tests is prudent in determining an individual’s risk.

 

 

A lipid panel includes total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. Studies have shown that over time, higher levels of HDL’s and lower levels of LDL’s correlate with a healthy heart.

 

HbA1c

 

According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly 12% of the United States population alone has diabetes, whether diagnosed or not. To quantify the statistic, that’s about 37 million individuals, and the number is increasing. It’s likely that without screening testing, this statistic would be exacerbated.

 

In order to detect whether a patient might be developing diabetes or is at risk of developing the condition in the future, knowledge of an individual’s current and recent blood sugar levels is necessary. HbA1c, or hemoglobin A1c, is a diabetic test that effectively measures the average blood sugar levels in an individual over the past 2-3 months.

 

Knowing this information gives a clinician helpful information to determine whether an individual is at risk or is currently developing diabetes. The provider can then make recommendations on management of blood sugar control and perhaps implement methods to try to improve or even reverse the condition. Such measures are likely to include dietary changes or possibly medications depending on the data.

 

Finally, the test will also act as an accurate predictor for year-round difficulties that individuals have with blood sugar levels and can help identify the times when an individual must make more effort to manage their diet better.

 

PSA

 

Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men globally, affecting nearly 300,000 men in the United States annually. 1 in 8 men are predicted to have a diagnosis of prostate cancer in their lifetime.

 

A PSA Test, or Prostate-Specific Antigen Test, is a laboratory test widely used among those with a family history of prostate cancer. The test itself measures a specific protein in the blood that’s produced by tissue in the prostate that can potentially be cancerous.

 

 

While this test is beneficial when used in the right context, its statistical variation must be considered. Although a rise in PSA levels may be associated with prostate cancer, it can also be a result of normal age or of another condition unrelated to cancer.

 

However, PSA levels can be a helpful guide if monitored over a significant period of time. If levels change at some point, it’s appropriate to investigate further and consider additional evaluation for the possibility of prostate cancer.

 

While other tests like the CA125 Test for Ovarian Cancer and the Carcinoembryonic Antigen Test for Colon Cancer play an important role in monitoring existing cancer, they aren’t preventative screenings and should not be used as such.

 

 

Final Thoughts

 

Preventative health laboratory testing is quite valuable in monitoring and helping to prevent disease and optimize health.

 

These tests allow for proactive measures by healthcare professionals to help diminish the prevalence rates of certain diseases. The more tools that can be utilized for optimum health screening, the better our overall health can be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Premium Medical Content Piece #6

Title: Medical Screening Testing for Preventative Health

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No matter the medical condition, the best medicine of all is prevention. While many common medical conditions can be prevented by simply being proactive with lifestyle interventions such as diet, exercise, and the elimination of unhealthy habits, it remains imperative to stay consistent with regular doctor or medical provider checkups and screenings. The importance of remaining consistent with screenings is important for all ages, especially for those in the aging population.

 

In what follows, we’ll be detailing many of the most common screening tests for common medical conditions such as heart disease, colon cancer, breast cancer, lung abnormalities, and other health-related conditions.

 

Common Types of Screening Tests

 

Screening tests play an integral role in the monitoring, diagnosing, and preventing of the most common medical conditions. In the best of circumstances, screenings tell an optimistic story of excellent health. In other circumstances, screenings may provide early detection of a medical condition, another overall optimistic outcome.

 

Failure to obtain regular screenings, however, simply leaves your health to chance, which leaves no opportunity for improvement of any health condition.

 

Below are some of the most common types of screening tests for common medical conditions:

 

• Cologuard
• Colonoscopy
• Fecal Occult Blood Test
• Pap smear
• Mammography
• Stress Test
• Chest X-Ray and EKG Screening
• CBC and CMP Lab Tests

 

Cologuard

 

A Cologuard test, which is an increasingly more common screening test, seeks to identify or trace any signs of precancerous or cancerous polyps of the colon. It is a much less invasive test than a colonoscopy, which is an examination of the large intestine and rectum. A Cologuard screening test is a stool test that detects alterations in the DNA of cells from the inner lining of the colon.

 

With colon cancer being defined as the third most common cancer in America by the American Cancer Society, it’s important to obtain regular colon screenings, whether through a Cologuard test or colonoscopy.

 

Colonoscopy

 

An extremely common and effective screening test, a colonoscopy is a procedure that looks for the presence of colon irregularities such as swelling, irritation, polyps, or other lesions.