Scientists from Niigata University found that regular medical examinations can prevent the development of end-stage chronic kidney disease. The research was published in the journal Clinical and Experimental Nephrology.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive decline in kidney function that usually develops over a long period of time. The changes that occur in this case are irreversible, therefore, in the terminal stage, the patient can only be saved by organ transplantation.
In the new study, researchers used five sources of nationwide open health data in Japan. They found that regular health checks significantly reduced the prevalence of end-stage CKD in the general population. This has also been helped by the increasing number of nephrologists specializing in kidney disease.
The results are consistent with another study showing that men who did not attend medical appointments or undergo kidney function tests (urine dipstick testing and/or hospital-based blood creatinine measurements) had significantly higher serum creatinine levels. High creatinine levels indicate decreased renal filtration capacity and increased risk of developing end-stage CKD.
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