BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — March is National Kidney Month, a time for people to pay more attention to their kidney health and learn more about what signs to look out for. Adding, the best form of treatment is prevention.
- March is National Kidney Month, a time to pay more attention to your kidney health.
- According to the American Kidney Fund, an estimated 35.5 million Americans have kidney disease.
- Health officials say some of the biggest contributors to kidney disease are diabetes, high blood pressure, and excessive use of over the counter medication.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, 1 in 3 people in the U.S are currently at risk of kidney disease. With march being national kidney month, local health experts are urging the public to pay more attention to their kidney health.
“If the kidneys are not monitored closely, it can lead to chronic kidney disease which can progress to under stage renal disease which means you need dialysis to live,” said nephrologist Dr. Sudhir Joshi.
Dr. Joshi says he believes the biggest contributor to kidney disease is diabetes, but he says things like high blood pressure and frequent use of over the counter medication can also be causes.
According to the American Kidney Fund, an estimated 35.5 million Americans have kidney disease and, it's growing at an alarming rate, currently affecting 1 in 7 adults.
Jolene Vargas is one of the many to have been part of this statistic, in total, she’s received three kidney transplants.
“When they told me I needed to go back on the list, I thought it was going to be a short period of time like it was the first time but I waited on the list 11 years and waiting that long on dialysis, you kind of give up hope thinking it’s never gonna happen,” said Vargas.
Vargas says had it not been for the donors out there, her hope would’ve never returned.
“I was amazed that someone I didn’t even know decided to save my life with a little pink dot here in California. They saved my life without even knowing who I am,” said Vargas.
Dr. Joshi says because there is no cure for kidney disease, the best form of treatment is early on prevention.
“Controlling diabetes, diet, controlling blood pressure, controlling any condition, high cholesterol.”
For more information on kidney health, click here.
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