This week, Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Anthony Kent about screening and early detection of kidney disease. Dr. Kent is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology, and he’s a kidney specialist at MUSC.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. It's estimated that 14% of adults in the U.S. ages 18 or older have chronic kidney disease. Doctor Anthony Kent is here to talk about screening and early diagnosis of this condition. Doctor Kent is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology, and he's a kidney specialist at MUSC. Doctor Kent, first, tell us about kidney disease.
Kent: When we say kidney disease, generally we're referring to chronic kidney disease or CKD. It is very common in that there's over 30 million adults in the United States with chronic kidney disease. And in fact, that's actually more than the amount of patients with coronary artery disease and heart failure in the United States combined. Our goal is to identify kidney disease early in its course. Normally, we have two kidneys that filter our blood and help remove toxins from our body, metabolic waste products, fluid, electrolytes. However, if the kidneys slow down and stop functioning as they normally should, those products can build up in our body and cause illness.
Conner: And who is at increased risk of developing kidney disease?
Kent: So, patients with diabetes, hypertension, as well as family history of kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, smoking or obesity. All those patients should essentially be screened at least once in their lifetime for chronic kidney disease.
Conner: And there may not be symptoms of kidney disease in the very beginning?
Kent: Correct. One of the challenges is that you don't necessarily feel symptoms of chronic kidney disease. So, it might be overlooked, unfortunately, on your labs that you might have had for other reasons, say, if you were getting a physical or an urgent care. And, you might see, for example, an elevated creatinine, one of the blood markers on your labs that suggest abnormal kidney function or reduced EGFR, your kidney filtration rate. You might also have protein in your urine or microscopic blood in your urine, and all of those can be markers of kidney disease that warrant further evaluation. This is why we like to be very proactive in nephrology, because it's easy to test and screen for. We know the risk factors and it's preventative and treatable before patients get to a point of advanced disease where they can become symptomatic.
Conner: If a person is indeed diagnosed with kidney disease, perhaps it's early stages. What happens next in terms of treatment or monitoring?
Kent: First of all, having a conversation with the patient so they understand exactly what the disease state means. Because again, it's not something that we typically feel and it's something that we can identify based on your lab work. And then next is designing a treatment regimen for the patients that can specifically help treat that disease state. So, for example, specific medications that slow progression of the kidney disease, reduce protein losses in the urine, control blood pressure, additional medications that decrease inflammation in the kidneys, essentially, and protect and prevent them from getting worse over time. Other medications might be used for weight loss, for example, that have been shown to protect the kidneys. So, there's a lot we can do these days with kidney disease upstream to help prevent those later effects and improve patients quality of life and outcomes.
Conner: Doctor Kent, thanks for talking with us about screening and early diagnosis of kidney disease.
Kent: You're welcome Bobbi. Thanks so much. Pleasure's all mine.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
