The kidney function test (KFT) and the liver function test (LFT) are simple blood tests that are intended to give us information about the proper functioning of our kidneys and liver respectively. But they don’t tell the whole story. dr Alka Bhasin, Senior Director, Nephrology & Kidney Transplant, Max Smart Super Specialty Hospital, Saket, explains: “KFT and LFT alone are not enough to establish healthy kidney and liver function. Additional investigations are required, e.g. B. Urinalysis, microscopy, abdominal ultrasound, INR, ammonia levels, fibroscan of the liver.”
dr Anup Gulati, Director of Urology and Kidney Transplantation, Fortis Escorts Faridabad, shares: “These tests are only the preliminary stages, based on which we can carry out further diagnostic tests to find out the exact cause of the impaired kidney and liver function.”
dr Bhupendra Gandhi, Mentor & Advisor, Renal Sciences, HN Reliance Hospital adds that these blood tests are reasonably good, but they are especially helpful when the kidney disease has reached an advanced stage; for early stages of kidney disease, this assessment is of no further help.
More accurate kidney test
In addition to the KFT and LFT as a preliminary examination, we need an ultrasound examination of the entire abdomen and a urine examination. Based on the above reports, depending on the suspected pathology, we should do the targeted test like CT scan or DTPS scan or other specialized tests for kidney and liversays dr anup.
The most accurate way to assess kidney health is by estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR). It is a calculation based on the patient’s age, weight, serum creatinine level and gender. The eGfR reflects the filter performance of the kidneys as a percentage, adds Dr. alca.
It is estimated that 1 in 10 people worldwide have chronic kidney disease, which equates to approximately 850 million people. In India there is an estimated growth rate of 10-20% of the dialysis population per year.
Should you have regular blood tests?
Awareness of this has increased today and many people go for their regular blood tests to know if their stats are optimal. And often, these checkups also help doctors diagnose a disease before it enters the risk category. But is it okay to have these tests done without a doctor’s recommendation?
Whether or not you should have regular blood tests is a tricky one, says Dr. Bhupendra. “Often we get blood tests without a recommendation from a real doctor. Sometimes it can detect early kidney damage that we don’t suspect. It is recommended to get tested once a year and visit the doctor to discuss the reports. Because even if the reports appear normal, there could be a kidney problem.
Although a normal healthy person does not need very frequent testing, they should have a urinary routine, blood pressure check and regular doctor visits once a year, especially those over 30 and 40 years old. People with a family history of diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney problems may cause testing to be done more frequently. It is also important to pay attention to symptoms. Normally, a patient with a kidney problem will either urinate too little or too much. You experience burning when urinating, a sense of urgency, or need to get up frequently at night to urinate. These are some of the early signs of kidney involvement, adds Dr. Bhupendra further added.
dr Alka also believes that regular testing can be very informative as a screening method for silent conditions such as kidney and liver disease. Random testing can be helpful, very rarely would this information be wasted. With limited access to doctors in this vast country, laboratory testing is certainly an important part of building one’s health profile.
Things to know about kidney or liver disease
One in 10 people has a kidney problem. And The most common cause of kidney disease is high blood pressure and diabetes, which is very common. As you know, India gets a capital city award for diabetes and kidney disease is increasing or galloping very fast. If you have blood pressure or diabetes, you should be careful and recognize them early. If you don’t catch blood pressure or diabetes early, you make yourself vulnerable to kidney failure or other related problems like heart problems or stroke or kidney problems. If caught, you can prevent the inevitable or delay it for many, many years, concludes Dr. Bhupendra.
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