THE body has two kidneys that are about the size of a human adult’s fist and located on either side of the spine just below the rib cage, according to New York, USA-based National Kidney Foundation (NKF). These hardworking organs perform many functions, particularly in helping remove waste and excess fluid from the body, regulate blood pressure as well as the amount of nutrients in the body like calcium and potassium, among others. How do the kidneys perform their life-sustaining job? The kidneys filter and return fluid to the bloodstream, a portion of which are retained in the body, and another portion is discarded through urine.
So why do many people suffer from Chronic Kidney Disease or CKD? Experts say the cause of kidney diseases are mostly lifestyle related such as consumption of unhealthy food, alcohol, smoking, that may lead to risk factors that can cause CKD like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, old age, or even family history. Unfortunately, symptoms of CKD are hardly noticeable until it reaches an advanced stage or as more complications develop. The NKF said about 37 million adults in the US are living with CKD, with approximately 90 percent of them not even knowing they have it.
In the Philippines, CKD is one of the leading causes of death as the National Kidney Transplant Institute (NKTI) said that one Filipino develops chronic renal failure every hour, estimated to be at least 2.3 million Filipinos currently diagnosed with CKD. Other rece.