Are You At Risk For Kidney Disease?
- Do you have diabetes?
- Do you have high blood pressure?
- Did your mother, father, sister, or brother ever
have kidney disease or failure?
- Has a doctor ever told you that you had protein
in your urine?
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you
are at risk for kidney disease. Now is the time to talk
to your doctor or health care professional about getting
tested. It could save your life.
What To Ask Your Doctor Or Health Care Professional
- Based on my medical and family history, am I at
risk for kidney disease?
- Would lowering my blood pressure help reduce my
risk of developing kidney disease?
- Do my blood and urine tests show signs of kidney
disease?
- How can I prevent or control kidney disease?
Tips For Talking With Your Doctor Or Health Care Professional
- Know as much as you can about your family's medical
history.
- Write down the answers you get and ask more questions
if you need to.
- Bring someone else with you for support and to help
you remember what you learn.
Steps To Protect Your Kidneys
- Control your blood pressure and diabetes.
- Ask your doctor or health care professional to test
your blood and urine for kidney disease.
- If these tests show kidney disease, special medicines
called ACE- Inhibitors or ARBs can help. Talk to your
doctor about these medications.
Stop A Disease That Comes Without Warning
Early kidney disease is a silent problem, like high
blood pressure. Kidney disease can become kidney failure
with little or no warning, and is usually discovered
right before the kidneys fail.
If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or a family
member with kidney failure, a doctor or health care professional
should test your blood and urine for early signs of
kidney disease. You can take steps to keep your kidneys
working if the tests show kidney disease.
Learn More About Kidney Disease
NKDEP provides free
educational materials and resources for patients
and their families.
National Kidney Disease Education Program
3 Kidney Information Way
Bethesda, MD 20892
1-866-4-KIDNEY (1-866-454-3639)
January 2003
National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information
Clearinghouse (NKUDIC)
3 Information Way
Bethesda, MD 20892
1-800-891-5390
kidney.niddk.nih.gov/index.htm
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