Kidney Health Awareness Month in Canada
Dr Justin Lafreniere, ND/Clinic Director
March is Kidney Health Awareness Month in Canada.
According to a new report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information
(CIHI), close to 38,000 Canadians were living with acute kidney failure
(requiring hemodialysis) in 2009—more than triple the number (11,000) living
with the disease in 1990. The number of Canadians with chronic kidney disease
is significantly greater, with estimates between 2 and 3 million. The primary cause of chronic kidney disease
in Canada is diabetes. An estimated 9
million Canadians live with diabetes currently, and the number is expected to
double by the year 2030. Given these numbers, it’s easy to see that the
incidence of chronic kidney disease will increase at an unprecedented rate in
the years to come. As dismal as this seems for those with diabetes or at risk
of developing diabetes, there is still opportunity for prevention and
progression to kidney failure and the need for hemodialysis. And trust me, you want to prevent this. As one prominent
nephrologists said; “dialysis will be the worst last three years of your life…”
So what can we do to prevent chronic kidney disease? Since
the biggest risk factors lie in poorly managed diabetes, the best chances for
prevention involve controlling blood sugar levels and blood pressure. The need
for controlling blood sugar is paramount in diabetics. However, the old
paradigm of using self blood-glucose monitoring devices regularly in
non-insulin dependent diabetes has been shown to be costly and ineffective. To
effectively monitor blood glucose, the best test is the hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)
blood test done every three months. To ensure that your HbA1c is within
appropriate range you must eat a well balanced diet, with low glycemic load
carbohydrates, and appropriate micronutrient content. You may also require
specifically prescribed supplements or medications to ensure your blood sugar
levels are controlled on a daily basis.
In addition to monitoring and controlling HbA1c, diabetics
must also monitor and control their blood pressure. Blood pressure can be a
little more difficult to manage, but a healthy diet and regular exercise can go
a long way to reducing hypertension. That said, blood pressure lowering
supplements and medications are often necessary.
Lastly, kidney function must be monitored regularly. Blood
creatinine levels and glomerular filtration (eGFR) rates are important markers
for evaluating kidney function, as is microalbuminuria (protein in urine).
Microalbuminuria is a strong predictor for cardiovascular and kidney disease
and often appears long before any significant changes to eGFR shows up in blood
tests.
The naturopathic doctors at the West Vancouver Wellness
Centre are particularly well equipped to help manage patients with pre-diabetes
and diabetes and to prevent their associated chronic conditions such as kidney
disease.
