Senior Health Connection Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital Center March 2012 March is National Kidney Month According to the National Kidney Foundation 26 millions Americans have Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), that is approximately 1 in 9 people. Even more concerning is that millions more are at risk for developing CKD because of diabetes, high blood pressure, or a family history of kidney disease. You kidneys work very hard to filter your blood by removing waste products and extra fluid, they then flush them from your body as urine. When your kidneys do not work right, waste builds up in your blood and makes you sick. Chronic Kidney Disease may seem to come on suddenly. But is has been developing bit by bit for many years as a result of damage to your kidneys. Each of your kidneys has about a million tiny filters, called nephrons. When nephrons become damaged they stop working. The healthy nephrons can take on the extra work for awhile but after a certain point, the nephrons that are left cannot filter your blood well enough to keep you healthy. Remember that early kidney disease has no outward symptoms. Diabetes, high blood pressure and a family history of kidney failure are key risk factors. CKD can be detected through blood and urine tests, kidney disease can be treated. The earlier you know you have it, the better. Learn more about what you can do at http://www.kidney.org. (Sources, National Kidney Foundation and Healthwise) 39