20 million Brazilians have some loss of kidney function; know how to prevent

World Kidney Day, coordinated by the Brazilian Society of Nephrology (SBN), seeks to make the population aware of the importance of prevention and early diagnosis of kidney diseases.

A CNN Radio SBN general secretary Lucio Requião said that 10% of the Brazilian population has “some degree of loss of kidney function”, which is equivalent to 20 million people.

“Chronic kidney disease is usually silent, it does not show any symptoms or signs”, he highlighted.

For this reason, “when the doctor realizes it, the patient has already lost the ability to filter the blood.”

In the opinion of the nephrologist, “that is why the awareness and prevention campaign is important”, in order to obtain the initial diagnosis and stop the progression of the disease, avoiding the need for dialysis or even kidney transplantation.

The best way to identify diseases related to the functioning of the kidneys is simple, according to the doctor: a blood test.

“The creatinine rate is a blood test that is available at SUS,” he said.

And he added: “High creatinine means a poorly functioning kidney, and that is more harmful than high cholesterol.”

Requião warned that diagnosis in the early stages is essential, especially for people at risk of the disease.

This group is composed of those with high blood pressure, diabetes, family history of chronic kidney disease, constant use of medications such as anti-inflammatories and patients with advanced age.

In the most advanced stage of the disease, symptoms such as shortness of breath, lack of appetite, nausea, swelling in the legs and difficulty sleeping serve as a warning.

The focus of the campaign is “the major public health problem that is chronic kidney disease”, but Requião recalls that the organ is “easily affected by various diseases, such as urinary infections and kidney stones”.

*Produced by Isabel Campos