Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Screening people to catch early kidney disease may sound like a good idea, but there is no research to prove that it's worthwhile, according to a new review.
In the U.S., about 11 percent of adults have chronic kidney disease, the vast majority of whom have early-stage disease.
The disease is very common among older adults -- more than 44 percent of Americans older than 70 have it -- and high blood pressure and diabetes are the main risk factors.
In its early stages, chronic kidney disease usually has no symptoms. But there are blood and urine tests that can catch signs of trouble, so it may sound logical to use them to screen everyone for early kidney dysfunction.
The problem is, no clinical trials have tested the effectiveness of widespread screening, according to the new review published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/04/19/us-kidney-disease-idUKBRE83I16320120419
In the U.S., about 11 percent of adults have chronic kidney disease, the vast majority of whom have early-stage disease.
The disease is very common among older adults -- more than 44 percent of Americans older than 70 have it -- and high blood pressure and diabetes are the main risk factors.
In its early stages, chronic kidney disease usually has no symptoms. But there are blood and urine tests that can catch signs of trouble, so it may sound logical to use them to screen everyone for early kidney dysfunction.
The problem is, no clinical trials have tested the effectiveness of widespread screening, according to the new review published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/04/19/us-kidney-disease-idUKBRE83I16320120419