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Early kidney disease treatment can delay dialysis for over a decade

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Early detection and intervention for chronic kidney disease can delay kidney failure by over 10 years, potentially preventing the need for dialysis for life.
  • Chronic kidney disease is often called a "silent killer" as it typically shows no obvious symptoms in its early stages, with 90% of patients unaware of their condition.
  • High blood pressure, diabetes, age, obesity, smoking, family history, and certain medications are key risk factors for kidney disease.

Early detection and prompt treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) can significantly alter its progression, offering a chance to delay kidney failure by more than a decade and possibly avoid dialysis altogether, according to Dr. Zhuang Min-xiang of Chi Mei Hospital.

Dr. Zhuang described CKD as a "silent killer" because it often progresses without noticeable symptoms in its initial phases. A staggering 90% of individuals with kidney disease remain unaware of their condition until their kidney function has severely deteriorated. However, timely intervention through medication and lifestyle adjustments can lead to improvements, as demonstrated by a 48-year-old tech engineer who saw his blood pressure normalize, reduced protein in his urine, and improved kidney function within six months of treatment.

Early detection and intervention for chronic kidney disease have the opportunity to delay kidney failure by more than 10 years, and even avoid dialysis for a lifetime.

— Dr. Zhuang Min-xiangEmphasizing the benefits of early diagnosis and treatment.

Assessing kidney health requires more than just monitoring the glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), which should ideally be above 60 and higher for younger individuals. Proteinuria, or protein in the urine, is a critical indicator of kidney damage. Even with a normal eGFR, persistent proteinuria signals a high risk of future kidney failure.

Chronic kidney disease is called a 'silent killer' because it has almost no obvious symptoms in the early stages, and 90% of kidney disease patients are unaware.

— Dr. Zhuang Min-xiangExplaining the insidious nature of the disease.

Dr. Zhuang highlighted eight major risk groups for kidney disease, with diabetes and high blood pressure being the most common. Other significant risk factors include older age, obesity, smoking, a family history of kidney disease, and the long-term use of unverified medications or self-purchased drugs.

He urged individuals experiencing symptoms such as persistent foamy urine (fine bubbles that don't dissipate for over 10 minutes), unexplained blood in the urine, edema, difficult-to-control high blood pressure, or a rapid decline in eGFR (greater than 5 points per year) to seek immediate specialist evaluation. Missing the golden window for treatment can have severe consequences.

Kidney function being normal does not mean there are no problems; proteinuria is an important indicator of kidney damage that cannot be ignored.

— Dr. Zhuang Min-xiangHighlighting the importance of monitoring proteinuria alongside eGFR.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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