Doctors at Vilnius City Clinical Hospital (VMKL) say that the progression of some kidney diseases can be prevented or significantly delayed with regular health checkups, management of chronic illnesses, and adherence to a healthy lifestyle, according to a press release.
The growing number of patients with kidney disease reflects not only a medical issue but a systemic problem, says Dr. Aušra Bilotienė-Motiejūnienė, director of VMKL.
“Today, we are seeing a clear trend – an increase in patients with impaired kidney function. This is due to both the aging of the population and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases,” she said. “it is extremely important to ensure not only early diagnosis but also coordinated collaboration between specialists in different fields, which allows for timely management of the disease and prevention of complex complications.”
According to the director, this also means a greater responsibility for the healthcare system – ensuring that patients have access to timely, quality treatment and modern facilities to manage more complex stages of the disease. This direction is being consistently strengthened by expanding nephrology services and improving the possibilities for dialysis treatment.
“Recent new treatment methods can significantly unhurried the progression of the disease, so our goal is to create conditions for applying these solutions as widely and early as possible,” she said.
Infrequent Routine Tests
Nephrologist Alicija Bartašūnaitė-Afanasjeva at Vilnius City Clinical Hospital points out that kidney dysfunction is often diagnosed in patients already suffering from other chronic conditions, such as diabetes or arterial hypertension. This is because these conditions gradually damage the blood vessels in the kidneys and weaken their ability to filter blood.
However, she notes that kidney diseases are not easy to detect, as they often do not cause clear symptoms for a long time. Unlike many other organ disorders, chronic kidney disease usually does not manifest as severe pain. In many cases, patients only experience general malaise – constant fatigue, weakness, decreased appetite, or weight loss.
“Unfortunately, we very often encounter chronic kidney disease too late, when we can no longer treat the underlying disease and the damage is too extensive. Only about one in ten patients receive an accurate diagnosis,” said A. Bartašūnaitė-Afanasjeva.
The nephrologist emphasizes that one of the main reasons for late diagnosis of kidney diseases is insufficient control of chronic diseases and infrequent routine tests.
“A large proportion of patients, especially middle-aged individuals, have diagnosed chronic diseases, but their monitoring is not consistent enough. Simple blood and urine tests, which do not require significant costs, can show whether kidney function remains stable or begins to deteriorate. Unfortunately, in practice, we often encounter the fact that even a simple test like a general urine analysis is performed too rarely,” says A. Bartašūnaitė-Afanasjeva.
The specialist points out that regular monitoring of health indicators is important even without experiencing clear symptoms. If a person has noticed elevated blood pressure even once, that is a signal to perform a urine test. If abnormalities are detected, a kidney ultrasound is performed to assess possible structural changes. Timely tests help to diagnose earlier and slow the progression of the disease.
“It is likely that the number of kidney diseases will only increase in the future, as our population is aging, and more and more elderly patients are admitted to hospitals who have not only pronounced chronic diseases but also very pronounced heart failure. Heart failure almost always goes hand in hand with chronic kidney disease,” emphasizes the doctor.
Replacement Kidney Therapy Often Needed
For some patients, kidney dysfunction progresses to a stage where medication alone is insufficient and replacement kidney therapy is necessary.
The most popular form is hemodialysis. This is a replacement kidney therapy method in which toxins accumulated in the blood are removed from patients 2–3 times a week during a special procedure using a dialysis machine.
“If a patient arrives at a treatment facility with acute kidney failure and we see that the so-called uremic indicators in the blood are very high, and conservative treatment is no longer effective, we begin replacement kidney therapy – hemodialysis. During the course of treatment, we assess whether kidney function recovers, and we look for the causes of acute failure. Often, patients recover from acute kidney failure, their kidney function normalizes, or a background of chronic kidney disease remains, so they continue to be monitored by a nephrologist,” says A. Bartašūnaitė-Afanasjeva.
Another group of patients who may need replacement kidney therapy, according to the doctor, are those suffering from chronic kidney diseases. They are monitored on an outpatient basis for a long time, undergo periodic tests, and are prepared for replacement kidney therapy when the disease progresses and test indicators worsen.
The Best Medicine: Healthy Habits and Self-Care
Experts emphasize that the risk of kidney disease is closely related to a person’s daily habits and control of chronic diseases. Even small lifestyle changes can help slow the deterioration of kidney function and avoid more serious health problems in the future.
“If a person suffers from chronic diseases, it is very important to manage them properly – control blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and drink enough fluids. This helps to delay the development of chronic kidney disease. Physical activity, a healthy diet, and a normal body weight are also important, as obesity and metabolic disorders are important risk factors,” she says.
The doctor also points out that kidney health is important not only for movement or nutrition but also for responsible medication use. In practice, patients often encounter those who do not adhere to the recommended doses of pain medication.
When taking these medications, it is necessary to adhere to the established doses and ensure adequate fluid intake. The kidneys filter everything that enters the body, so balance is important for them – both a lack of fluids and an excess can be harmful.
