World Kidney Day Raises Awareness

DAVENPORT, IOWA - World Kidney Day, celebrated March 8, aims to raise awareness about the importance of our kidneys and the fact that kidney disease is “common, harmful and treatable.”

Kidneys remove toxins and excess water from our blood, filtering an average of 200 liters of blood a day. Kidneys also help to control our blood pressure, to produce red blood cells and to keep our bones healthy.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), when the kidneys gradually lose the ability to function, is a “silent” disease and often goes unnoticed. At least 1 in 10 adults have some form of kidney damage. People with chronic kidney disease are more likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.

When the kidneys progressively worsen to the point where they must be replaced (end-stage renal disease), patients must receive a new, transplanted kidney or be kept alive through Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT). These treatments filter toxins out of the patient’s blood either through hemodialysis, requiring connection to a machine three times a week, or peritoneal dialysis, a home therapy that utilizes the patient’s abdominal cavity for the filtering of toxins.

“Simple, routine tests of your urine, blood and blood pressure can show early signs of kidney problems,” said Cathy Hughes, Manager of the Dialysis Unit at Genesis, Davenport. “The good news is that once we know these problems, we can slow and even stop chronic kidney disease, by taking medicines and changing some of our living habits.

“Early detection and treatment of CKD can not only slow or halt the progression of patients to end-state renal disease, but it can also significantly reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease, the most common cause of premature death.”

Risk factors for kidney disease include: diabetes, high blood pressure, age, obesity, smoking and a family history.

With both inpatient and outpatient services for people with kidney failure, Genesis Medical Center, Davenport, provides the only  hospital-based hemodialysis center in the Quad Cities.

The Quad Cities Kidney Center also has a newly constructed outpatient facility on the Genesis, Illini Campus.

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