The Romanian Society of Nephrology has kicked off a national awareness and prevention campaign "Chronic kidney disease is silent."
According to the Nephrology Society, kidney health is greatly underestimated in Romania. Over 1.5 million adults in the country suffer from chronic kidney disease and more than 1 million of them are still undiagnosed, according to medical estimates.
The condition evolves, in most cases, without pain and without obvious symptoms in the early stages. If left untreated, it can lead to kidney failure, a serious condition that requires dialysis and kidney transplantation.
The Romanian Society of Nephrology has kicked off the national information and awareness campaign "Chronic kidney disease is silent", on World Kidney Day, designed to draw attention to one of the most common and underdiagnosed chronic conditions in Romania and to encourage screening.
Chronic kidney disease gradually affects the kidneys' ability to filter blood, eliminate toxins, and maintain the body's balance. The main risk factors for developing this condition are: diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, obesity, age over 60 and family history of kidney disease.
Discovered in time, chronic kidney disease can be kept under control, and its development can be slowed down.
Doctors point out that early detection is possible through two simple and accessible tests: Urine Albumin-Creatinine Ratio (uACR) and eGFR - estimated glomerular filtration rate, determined by blood test.
Under the campaign "Chronic kidney disease is silent", the Romanian Society of Nephrology sets to raise awareness over the fact that chronic kidney disease is frequent and often evolves without symptoms, to educate the public on risk factors and the importance of screening tests, to reduce the number of undiagnosed cases and to promote early detection, which can slow down the development of the disease and reduce the risk of dialysis and cardiovascular complications and, last but not least, the normalisation of the conversation about kidney health, in the same way that the population already discusses blood pressure, cholesterol or blood sugar.
"Just as we monitor our blood sugar to prevent diabetes complications or blood pressure to protect the heart, kidney health should not be neglected. If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, weight above the normal limit, or notice swelling of your feet, ankles, or face, changes in urine, or unexplained fatigue, talk to your GP about kidney function tests. Diagnosed early, chronic kidney disease can be effectively controlled, significantly reducing the risk of dialysis or kidney transplantation," according to Gener Ismail, chairman of the Romanian Society of Nephrology.
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