Health officials say many have kidney disease without knowing it

CLARKSBURG — Experts say an estimated 20 million Americans have kidney damage, but most have no idea.

Dr. Rebecca Schmidt, a West Virginia University professor of medicine and chief of the nephrology section, said many West Virginians are unaware they have the disease. She said the number of people identified as having kidney disease at a recent area screening was “frightening.”

“It’s a growing problem in the United States and West Virginia has not been spared. In fact, West Virginia appears to have more kidney disease than other states,” she said.

Schmidt said the state has more patients starting dialysis than other states per capita. Risk factors for kidney disease include high blood pressure, diabetes and old age — all prevalent in West Virginia, she said.

Diabetes contributes to 42 percent of all new cases of kidney failure in the U.S., and high blood pressure accounts for 26 percent of new cases, according to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.

As a “silent” disease, symptoms of kidney disease don’t often appear until it has significantly progressed, Schmidt said.

She said some interventions, particularly in diabetics, can be done to prevent kidney failure, but diabetes is still the leading cause of kidney failure.

Experts say screening is easy and is the only way to know if a person has kidney problems. Screening involves simple blood and urinary tests which can be done in any lab, Schmidt said.

Goals to reduce chronic kidney disease are outlined as part of the West Virginia Healthy People 2010 objectives, according to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. Goals include slowing the rate of new cases of end-stage renal disease by 10 percent, increasing the proportion of dialysis patients awaiting transplantation by 50 percent, and increasing the proportion of diabetics who receive recommended medical therapy.

Melody Skaggs, a clinical administrator at The Kidney Center, said anyone can walk into the Bridgeport office and schedule an appointment for screening or possibly even be screened the same day.

“The sooner they’re screened, the better,” Skaggs said, adding that a patient may not need dialysis if damage is caught early enough. They may be able to be treated by altering medications, she said.

Hypertension, diabetes, fluid retention, a history of stones, urinary tract problems, and edema can all contribute to kidney disease, Skaggs said. She said patients with kidney damage may not feel well, may feel forgetful, have trouble walking, have sore bones and joints or leg cramps.

Staff writer Laura Wilcox can be reached at 626-1405 or by e-mail at lwilcox@exponent-telegram.com