The earlier a disease is diagnosed-the rosier the prognosis. Even better is to be able to identify who's at high risk for a particular disease years-before it strikes. A high risk person could potentially take preventative measures that may ward off ever getting the disease with this knowledge. A good example is kidney disease. Up until now, doctors have not had a great way to tell who's going to have kidney problems later in life unless a person has a condition, such as hypertension or diabetes. This predisposes them to it. Now, there may be a means to predict the likelihood of kidney disease years before the kidneys start to fail-by with a single blood test.
Researchers recently discovered that three biomarkers in the blood may be helpful for predicting a person's risk of kidney disease. Using data from the Framingham Offspring Study, they found that homocysteine, aldosterone, B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) can identify people at increased risk for chronic kidney disease. Levels of these biomarkers can be established by drawing a single blood sample and sending it to the lab for analysis.
Homocysteine levels are sometimes checked to evaluate a person's risk of cardiovascular disease-although levels need to be taken into account in conjunction with other cardiac risk factors. Aldosterone is a hormone manufactured by the adrenal cortex. This helps to regulate sodium and potassium by the kidney. BNP is a protein used to diagnose congestive heart failure-and it contributes to relax blood vessels and causes the kidneys to excrete more salt and water. Taken together, these three biomarkers offer additional information that doctors could use to better understand a patient's risk of kidney disease.
One cause of chronic bad breath is gum disease. If you find that when your gums become swollen or red when you brush your teeth, or that your gums start to bleed when you floss your teeth, you may have some kind of gum disease. In this case, it's important to consult a dentist straight away as the gum disease may hide other underlying and more serious systemic disorders. For example, it could be symptomatic of kidney failure or liver disease, but this is that in the extreme cases. Nevertheless, it's important that you see a dentist as soon as you can.
Currently, blood tests to diagnose chronic kidney disease only detect it once damage has already occurred and kidney function is declining. The two better ways to do this are to check levels of BUN and creatinine. Early disease of the kidneys can also be picked up by rising levels of protein in the piss. This newer biomarker test would alert doctors of the potential for kidney problems years before damage is done.
Expect to see more research on these biomarkers for kidney disease risk. They could provide valuable information that would allow kidney problems to be picked up before the kidneys are damaged.
Researchers recently discovered that three biomarkers in the blood may be helpful for predicting a person's risk of kidney disease. Using data from the Framingham Offspring Study, they found that homocysteine, aldosterone, B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) can identify people at increased risk for chronic kidney disease. Levels of these biomarkers can be established by drawing a single blood sample and sending it to the lab for analysis.
Homocysteine levels are sometimes checked to evaluate a person's risk of cardiovascular disease-although levels need to be taken into account in conjunction with other cardiac risk factors. Aldosterone is a hormone manufactured by the adrenal cortex. This helps to regulate sodium and potassium by the kidney. BNP is a protein used to diagnose congestive heart failure-and it contributes to relax blood vessels and causes the kidneys to excrete more salt and water. Taken together, these three biomarkers offer additional information that doctors could use to better understand a patient's risk of kidney disease.
One cause of chronic bad breath is gum disease. If you find that when your gums become swollen or red when you brush your teeth, or that your gums start to bleed when you floss your teeth, you may have some kind of gum disease. In this case, it's important to consult a dentist straight away as the gum disease may hide other underlying and more serious systemic disorders. For example, it could be symptomatic of kidney failure or liver disease, but this is that in the extreme cases. Nevertheless, it's important that you see a dentist as soon as you can.
Currently, blood tests to diagnose chronic kidney disease only detect it once damage has already occurred and kidney function is declining. The two better ways to do this are to check levels of BUN and creatinine. Early disease of the kidneys can also be picked up by rising levels of protein in the piss. This newer biomarker test would alert doctors of the potential for kidney problems years before damage is done.
Expect to see more research on these biomarkers for kidney disease risk. They could provide valuable information that would allow kidney problems to be picked up before the kidneys are damaged.