Know your risk factors
Diabetes and high blood pressure are the common risk factors for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Other risk factors such as heart disease, family history, race/ethnicity, and aging all may also increase your chance of CKD.
Managing your risk factors
1. Healthy eating
Make a dietary change. A healthy diet helps prevent diabetes and high blood pressure. This should include reducing your intake of sodium (salt), fat, and sugar. Limit too much potassium and phosphate in the diet because they can build up in the body, which in turn reduces the amount of calcium and increases your risk of irregular heart rate.
2. Stay active
Regular exercise improves your general health. It not only boosts your energy, gets you in shape, and improves your mood but also reduces your risk of disease such as heart disease. Exercise also helps maintain a healthy weight and lowers blood pressure by improving blood circulation. The time is now to get started on your exercise program! Start slowly and build up the intensity and duration gradually over time.
3. Quit smoking
Smoking puts your overall health at a higher risk. It increases blood pressure and heart rate. Increasing blood flow to the kidney narrows blood vessels and harms your kidney’s health, putting you at greater risk for CKD by damaging kidney function.
4. Take your medications
Make sure you follow through and take your medication as prescribed by your doctor. Proper use of medications helps manage your health issues or related risk factors. Have an open dialogue with your doctor regarding treatments to prevent problems caused by CKD.
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