Diabetes Basics Recording
If you missed our last education call on diabetes, be sure to watch the recording below:
November Education Call Aims to Increase Diabetes Awareness
Diabetes is one of the primary causes of Chronic Kidney Disease. November is Diabetes Awareness month, which provides the perfect opportunity to further education on the disease and how it can affect your kidney health. Join us Monday, November 2 at 3:00 PM to hear a discussion on ways to manage diabetes to stay as healthy as possible. The call can be viewed online by visiting www.dpcedcenter.org/education-calls or by phone at 1-877-388-5186 conference code: 433-459-5474.
Report Links Hypertension Medication to Increased Likelihood of Fall Injuries
A recent study finds that elderly patients can have an increased risk of falling after starting a blood pressure medication. Researchers at the University Medical Center in New York studied 90,000 Medicaid patients who experienced fall injuries. Data indicated that patients who began taking hypertension medication had a 36 percent increase in the likelihood of falling within two weeks. Those who were already on blood pressure drugs had a 16 percent chance of falling after starting a new class of medication. The report mirrors another study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, although data in Hypertension contradicts the findings. [...]
Are You Getting Enough High-Quality Sleep?
We all know that sleep is important, yet many of us never seem to get enough of it. The journal Sleep Review recently found that 67% of end-stage renal disease patients said they were impacted by sleep disorders that prevented them from getting enough sleep. These sleep disorders include periodic leg movement syndrome (PLMS), restless legs syndrome (RLS), insomnia and sleep apnea. Researchers from Monash University reported in the journal Renal Failure that lack of sleep, especially when coupled with chronic kidney disease, leads to hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes, lower quality of life and shorter life expectancy. This leaves many kidney patients [...]
Celebrate World Kidney Month
The 10th anniversary of World Kidney Month is drawing to a close! The goal of World Kidney Month is to prevent kidney disease and related diseases from happening, since one adult out of 10 across the world currently has kidney disease. World Kidney Month aims to prevent kidney disease by educating people on the importance of their kidneys. It also aims to raise awareness of high blood pressure and diabetes, the most common causes of kidney disease. Because there are little to no symptoms of kidney disease, most people are not even aware that they have it until it reaches the later stages, [...]
Low Blood Pressure – Hypotension
By Dewayne Hasten, DPC Patient Ambassador, Hemodialysis Patient and Biomedical EngineerPatient to Patient: Low Blood Pressure (Hypotension) During Dialysis TreatmentsProtecting your accessYou are a hemodialysis patient, and you know the score. You arrive at the clinic for your treatment and go right to the scale, weigh yourself, and head to your chair. There are the usual pleasantries, the questions about your health since your last treatment, and your vital signs are checked.The nurse or technician then straps the blood pressure cuff on your arm and you hear the monitor start. You feel the cuff around your arm start to inflate. You [...]
What You Need to Know about Anemia and Kidney Disease
Anemia and Kidney Disease Anemia can make you feel weak, tired, and short of breath. You may also have headaches and trouble sleeping. You may also experience a loss of appetite and a more rapid heart rate. Anemia (uh-NEE-me-eh) comes from the Greek work that means “without blood”. Anemia is common in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) When kidneys are healthy, they make a hormone called erythropoietin, or EPO. This hormone helps the bone marrow to produce the amount of red blood cells (RBC) that the body needs to carry oxygen to vital organs. When the kidneys are damaged, they [...]
Issues Specific to Children with Pediatric Kidney Disease
Children are not just little versions of adults. They endure their own physical and mental issues that deserve extra attention. Physical Immunizations Early childhood is when several series of immunizations are scheduled, which can create additional issues in children with renal failure. Due to weakened immune systems, it is even more important that children with CKD receive all recommended vaccinations plus pneumonia and influenza. Children who are on immunosuppressive medication to prevent transplant rejection or treat an autoimmune disease should not receive live viruses though, those include the polio oral vaccine, the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine or the varicella [...]
Learn More About Anemia
Anemia is a complex topic. You can learn more about anemia and its treatment in greater detail by visiting the following websites: Kidney School Anemia Module https://www.kidneyschool.org/m06/ Kidney School is a free, on-line, interactive kidney learning center offered by the Life Options program. There are 16 modules, including one on anemia. You can also download this module. Anemia in Kidney Disease and on Dialysis https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/kidney-disease/anemia Online information from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. What You Should Know About Anemia https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/what_anemia_ckd Online basic information from the National Kidney Foundation.
What is Dialysis and Chronic Kidney Disease?
It is estimated that more than 31 million American adults have chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, a survey done by the National Medical Association and Amgen shows that most adults know very little about the symptoms or treatment of the disease. How can people be so unaware of a disease that affects so many? Like diabetes and high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease is called a “silent killer” because there are few symptoms and by the time a person realizes they have a problem, much damage has already been done. By sharing information you can help save lives. Because chronic kidney disease happens over [...]