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Kidney Health Check

Find out what’s involved with a Kidney Health Check, as well as how often you should get one, and how accurate they are.

A doctor consults with a patient

Taking control of your kidney health

The only way to know whether you have any stage of kidney disease is to undertake a Kidney Health Check with a doctor. Going for checks regularly is key to early detection; this empowers you to slow the progression of end-stage kidney disease if you are diagnosed. This can also make a huge difference to living your life to the fullest with kidney disease.

How to check your kidneys

A Kidney Health Check involves three straightforward tests:

  1. a blood test – to see how well your kidneys are filtering your blood
  2. a urine test – to check for albumin (a type of protein) or blood in your urine
  3. a blood pressure test – because high blood pressure and kidney disease are related.
Kidney health check infographic, including Blood test, Urine test and BP Check

Understanding Kidney Health Checks

If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, it’s wise to get a Kidney Health Check as soon as you can. You should repeat this check every year.

If you have any other risk factors (for example, you’re a smoker or have a history of kidney disease in your family), you should also get a Kidney Health Check but repeat the check every two years.

If you do not have any risk factors for kidney disease, there’s no need for you to undertake a Kidney Health Check – unless your doctor wants to conduct a test for other reasons.

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