When it comes to kidneys, lifestyle plays a significant role in the organs’ health.
There are hereditary factors that may affect kidney health, but controllable factors such as obesity, high blood pressure and diet have larger impacts, according to Dr. Michael Plager, nephrologist and medical director of Fresenius Kidney Care Yankee Family Center in Greenfield.
“Luckily, for most people who have kidney disease, it doesn’t progress to where it has a significant impact,” Plager said.
Plager said that most people with kidney disease maintain a mild form of it, resulting in several smaller problems. This may include high potassium or lack of absorption of vitamin D, fluid build-up in certain portions of the body, or high blood pressure.
But if kidney disease progresses, people may be worried that they may need dialysis, which is essentially an external machine that goes through an artery in the patient’s body to do the job of the kidneys.
And while this may scare patients and make them think they have a poor prognosis, this may not be true.
“People that reach dialysis but don’t have any other medical problems can still do well,” Plager said.
Patients generally have positive outcomes while on dialysis, Plager said. And depending on the patient and their other medical conditions, a patient may live a relatively normal life for a significant period of time.
Still, kidney health should be considered by everyone. Plager said that kidney failure is on the rise across the country, and kidney donation is down. So focusing on the controllable factors is key.
To help kidney health, focus on eating low-salt diets, managing weight, getting regular check-ups and preventing high blood pressure are all ways that a person can prevent becoming a patient.
But one widely believed remedy may be overstated.
“Drinking enough fluids is something that everyone talks about but it is probably overblown,” Plager said. “It helps but it isn’t a treatment for most folks.”