A doctor in Maryland gives tips on how to be proactive regarding the health of your kidneys.
The DC area has the highest number of kidney diseases anywhere in the country: 8,000 people are waiting for transplants and 80% of them come from minority communities. A researcher in Maryland believes that work that is currently underway could ultimately help turn the numbers around.
‘In this era of regenerative medicine [we’re] to think about what are the components needed to use your own kidney with potential lesions to act as a scaffold in order to regenerate its own function? ”Says Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers, director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, which is part of the National Institutes of Health.
“It’s a very active investigation right now,” said Rodgers, who is also a master’s student at the American College of Physicians.
Until science finds out how to encourage bodies to repair their own damaged kidneys, Rodgers recommends that people consider becoming organ donors – look at the organ donor box on your driver’s license.
“We all need to think – should I take all my organs with me?”
As a living donor, you can lead a perfectly healthy life, Rodgers said, with just one kidney.
And because you only need one kidney, people do not develop symptoms if there is a problem before serious damage is done. Rodgers said people at higher risk of developing kidney disease should be proactively diligent. You can learn about these risk factors by watching the video below.
Risk factors for kidney disease are high if you are African American or Hispanic and if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease or family history of kidney disease.
If you see your healthcare provider – if they do not do it automatically – be proactive and say, ‘Doctor, how are my kidneys? ” Rodgers said, adding that simple tests can show if someone has kidney damage.
“Depending on how extensive it is, there are measures that can be put in place that can stop or certainly delay the course of future kidney damage,” Rodgers said.
You can find advice on preventing kidney disease on the NIDDK website.
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