Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive condition in which the kidneys are unable to function properly. Early diagnosis and intervention are critical to slowing the progression of CKD and preventing or delaying the onset of end-stage renal disease (ESRD).
There is no single test that can diagnose CKD. Instead, it is diagnosed through a combination of medical history, physical examination, and laboratory testing.
Medical history: Your doctor will ask about your medical history, including any kidney problems you may have had in the past.
Physical examination: A physical examination can help your doctor evaluate the health of your kidneys.
Laboratory testing: A variety of blood and urine tests can be used to assess kidney function and detect CKD.
If CKD is suspected, your doctor may refer you to a kidney specialist (nephrologist) for further evaluation and treatment.
The early diagnosis of CKD is critical to slowing the progression of the disease and preventing or delaying the onset of ESRD. If you have any risk factors for CKD, be sure to talk to your doctor about getting tested.
A new study has found that a simple, early diagnosis tool for childhood kidney disease could potentially help save lives.
The research, published in the journal Nature Medicine, found that a test which measures levels of a protein called Albumin in urine could be used to identify children at risk of developing kidney disease.
Albumin is a protein that is produced by the liver and is normally filtered out of the blood by the kidneys. However, in kidney disease, the protein leaks into urine.
The study found that children who had higher levels of Albumin in their urine were more likely to develop kidney disease.
Importantly, the study also found that the earlier the test was carried out, the more accurate it was at predicting which children would go on to develop kidney disease.
This is a potentially life-saving discovery, as kidney disease can often lead to kidney failure, which can be fatal.
The test is simple, cheap, and non-invasive, and could be carried out routinely on children as part of their healthcare.
This is a major breakthrough in the fight against childhood kidney disease, and could potentially save many lives.
