Tips For Your Check-up
Here are some helpful things to discuss with your doctor at your annual physical.
What to say
- Discuss your lifestyle
- Tell your doctor about your diet, alcohol and tobacco consumption, physical activity, and medications or supplements you take.
- Share your full health history
- Speak up about any medical conditions you have and any family history of kidney failure.
What to ask for
- A simple urine test if you have any of these risk factors for kidney disease:
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Age 60 and over
- Family history of kidney failure
- Copies of your most recent blood test results
- Healthy lifestyle recommendations
- Information about medications that can harm your kidneys
What to know
Here are some of the medical tests your doctor may discuss if you're at risk for kidney disease.
- ACR (Albumin-to-creatinine ratio)
If kidneys aren't working well, protein ends up in the urine. ACR detects this protein—an early sign of kidney damage.
- eGFR (Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate)
This measures how well kidneys filter wastes out of the blood. - Blood pressure
High blood pressure is a leading cause of kidney disease. - Blood glucose (sugar)
This test checks for diabetes, the leading cause of kidney failure. - Cholesterol
High cholesterol may indicate risk for heart disease, a major risk factor for kidney disease.