Long-term, though, Dr. Lu says the best treatment is a kidney transplant. He says dialysis gives a person 15 percent normal kidney function, whereas a kidney transplant will give back 50 percent of function. Dr. Lu urges adults to get annual physicals to check for kidney disease. He says you should get your blood sugar and blood pressures checked and get a urinalysis test to check for protein in the urine, a potential sign of kidney disease. If possible, he says you should have your blood chemistry checked, as well.
Doctors say screenings are the best way to detect kidney disease.
There are no symptoms until late stages. Doctors stress these can be VERY LATE symptoms, so they encourage you to not wait and to take action with yearly exams. Kidney disease also increases your risk for heart failure. Doctors say death rates form heart failure is 10 to 100 times higher for people with kidney disease. Amanda Hill UT Southwestern Medical Center 5323 Harry Hines Blvd.