(BPT) – More than 26 million American adults are currently living with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and many more are at increased risk for developing the disease.1 It is important to take steps to keep the kidneys healthy – this includes getting blood and urine checked and managing conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.2
The risk of developing CKD increases with age and more specifically after age 50, and is most common after age 70.3
Drew, 59, from Virginia, was going through a routine physical in his senior year of college when he was diagnosed with CKD. Over the next few years, his kidney function declined rapidly and he required a kidney transplant from his younger brother, who was found to be a match. Unfortunately, Drew’s body rejected his brother’s kidney and it had to be removed after only two weeks. In the years since, Drew has been on hemodialysis three times a week.
Like many CKD patients, Drew went on to develop a condition called secondary hyperparathyroidism (HPT), which affects 89 percent of patients on hemodialysis.4 Secondary HPT is often a silent disease that may progress and can be associated with clinical consequences.5
Parathyroid hormone (PTH) regulates the balance of calcium and phosphorous in the body.5 People with secondary HPT produce too much of this hormone from their parathyroid glands, in response to decreased kidney function and changes in mineral metabolism.5
Many patients with secondary HPT may not show symptoms until their disease has progressed. As a result, identifying people who may be at risk of developing the disease is vital.5
It is important when treating secondary HPT to monitor blood levels of PTH, calcium and phosphorus. This can be done using diet, medication and the hemodialysis procedure itself.5 It is important for patients with CKD to be checked for secondary HPT so the condition can be managed by a multidisciplinary healthcare team.
“I set out to be the very best hemodialysis patient I could be. As a patient, you have to play a very active role in this disease to keep it managed and under control,” says Drew. “I think it’s important for any hemodialysis patient to advocate for themselves and take an active role in their wellbeing.”
Even though he goes for hemodialysis three times a week, Drew never stopped working since his hemodialysis started – he finds that it helps his self-esteem and takes the focus off of being a hemodialysis patient. “Hemodialysis and chronic kidney disease is not the end all and I’m a living testament to that.”
If you have CKD, speak to your doctor about your risk for developing secondary HPT.
References:
1. National Kidney Foundation. About Chronic Kidney Disease. Available at: https://www.kidney.org/kidneydisease/aboutckd. Accessed February 3, 2017.
2. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Kidney Disease Basics. Available at: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-communication-programs/nkdep/learn/causes-kidney-disease/kidney-disease-basics/pages/kidney-disease-basics.aspx. Accessed February 3, 2017.
3. Centers for Disease Control. National Chronic Kidney Disease Fact Sheet, 2014. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/pdf/kidney_factsheet.pdf. Accessed February 3, 2017.
5. Tomasello S. Secondary Hyperparathyroidism and Chronic Kidney Disease. Diabetes Spectr. 2008;21(1)19-25.
