Tullamore Renal Nurse gives top tips to prevent kidney diseas
Local renal experts in Offaly have encouraged people at high risk of getting Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) to get checked out. The condition is becoming more common with 10% of adults having it. By 2040 it’s estimated that kidney disease will be the fifth leading cause of death, as mortality rates continue to rise on an annual basis.
Noreen Galvin, a Clinical Nurse Manager in the Renal Unit at the Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore (MRHT) says: “You have an increased risk of developing Chronic Kidney Disease and should be screened If you are overweight, have diabetes, high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease.” Noreen says it is possible to prevent or slow down the progression of kidney disease through lifestyle changes and medication. Her advice is “To eat a healthy diet, low in salt, take regular exercise, quit smoking and carry out regular blood pressure checks.”
A special information stand was held for all staff members at MRH Tullamore on Thursday morning to promote awareness of the key measures to prevent CKD. The event was held on World Kidney Day.
Prof George Mellotte, Consultant Renal Physician, and the HSE’s National Clinical Lead on Renal says: “It is important that people with Chronic Kidney Disease are identified early so that they can access treatment to delay kidney damage and prevent premature death. Kidney health can be easily measured with a simple blood test and a urine sample. People with Chronic Kidney Disease are medically vulnerable, with most having high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. CKD increases the complications seen in these illnesses.”
Risk factors towards developing Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
❖ Diabetes
❖ Hypertension (High blood pressure)
❖ Cardiovascular Disease
❖ Cancer
❖ Liver conditions
❖ Autoimmune diseases
❖ Pre-eclampsia
❖ Obesity
❖ Family health history of kidney disease
❖ Aged over 50
❖ Long term use of over-the-counter medications
If Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is detected early enough, its progression, through the five stages of CKD, can be slowed down supporting better patient outcomes.
The renal unit at MRH Tullamore will continue to support kidney patients by:
● Educating them not just on their condition but also their medication and care plan
● Informing local kidney patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (stage 4 or 5) that they can avail of a fourth booster dose of the COVID 19 vaccine
GP’s can advise patients on how to prevent CKD with interventions that include early check-ups, blood pressure monitoring and blood sugar control as well as management and monitoring of associated complications such as heart disease.
Last year in Ireland dialysis treatments was delivered in twenty-three dialysis centres to over two thousand patients. Approximately one hundred thousand additional dialysis treatments were carried out by patients in their own homes. People on dialysis have to attend a dialysis centre three to four times a week. The estimated annual cost of this treatment is eighty thousand euros per patient.
World Kidney Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of our kidneys to our overall health and to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide. Kidney disease can affect people of all ages and races. Over five hundred new patients in Ireland develop kidney failure every year.