CCMC Physicians Discuss How to Combat and Prevent Kidney Disease

Diabetes is the top cause of kidney failure, causing about 47 percent of its new cases. Eighty percent of Americans are at risk for the disease if they fail to take the test needed to detect it.

“But to put it into perspective, diabetes is one of the leading causes of death,” said Dr. Siddharth Verma, a consulting nephrologist at WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center. “Roughly 37 percent of patients with diabetes tend to have kidney disease, and nine out of 10 people who have kidney disease do not know about it."

Dr. Neeharika Muddana, another consulting nephrologist at WVU Medicine Camden Clark, said you don’t have symptoms in the early stages of kidney problems. Usually, symptoms don’t appear until the late stages of kidney disease, so early detection is vital.

“But once your kidney function goes below 30 percent, you will start having symptoms like fatigue, lack of sleep, decreased appetite, weight loss, and decreased concentration,” Dr. Muddana said. “If it goes even below 15 percent, you will start having symptoms like pruritis, which means itching. And you also have taste changes, like altered tastes. Like you feel a metallic sensation of the foods, whatever you eat, and you start having the swelling in the legs. These are the symptoms you need to look for.”

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