Tips to Keep Kidneys Working

Monday, December 13, 2010

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Healthy kidneys aren't a given. The December issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter covers risk factors for kidney disease and ways to keep kidneys doing their important work of filtering waste and excess fluids from the body.

Several factors increase the risk of kidney disease. Some can't be controlled, such as being older than age 65, a family history of kidney disease, or being black, Native American or Asian-American. Other factors can be addressed with treatment or lifestyle changes. Those factors include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, smoking, obesity and high cholesterol.

It's wise to talk with a physician about risk factors. The doctor may recommend simple testing, including blood pressure measurement and blood and urine tests to see how the kidneys are working. Kidney failure, when detected early, can be slowed or even halted with lifestyle changes and treatment for underlying health conditions.

The Mayo Clinic Health Letter offers these tips to keep kidneys working:

• Carefully managing diabetes: Diabetes is the most common cause of chronic kidney disease. Uncontrolled high blood sugar levels damage kidneys.
• Controlling hypertension: Hypertension can cause chronic kidney disease. Or, high blood pressure can result from chronic kidney disease. Either way, the closer blood pressure is to its target range, the better for kidneys. Hypertension damages the kidneys' small blood vessels, so the kidneys don't work as effectively.
• Daily physical activity, heart-healthy eating, and losing weight if needed all can help control blood pressure. Medications may be needed, too.
• Avoiding use of large amounts of pain relievers: Kidney damage may be caused by long-term use of various pain relievers in large amounts. They include aspirin; acetaminophen (Tylenol, others); ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others); naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn, others) and the COX-2 inhibitor colecoxib (Celebrex).
• Eating for kidney health: Limiting the amount of sodium and potassium in the diet may help maintain kidney health. A dietitian can discuss these and other changes that help maintain a healthy diet and slow kidney disease.
• Not smoking: Smoking makes kidney disease worse.

Mayo Clinic Health Letter is an eight-page monthly newsletter of reliable, accurate and practical information on today's health and medical news. To subscribe, please call 800-333-9037 (toll-free), extension 9771, or visit Mayo Clinic Health Letter Online.

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