It’s so wonderful to know kidney health is moving address. From the darkest bits at the back, now to the front of our clever clinical minds. We’re easy to impress when it comes to any ‘axis’ – gut-brain, brain-immune etc. so we all need to take a moment and take note of arguably the most well ‘connected’ organ of all… 🥁 our kidneys, with their individual axis with the CNS, CVS, Respiratory, Liver, Bone Marrow, Bone, GIT etc etc etc No wonder we should be taking active steps to protect their structure and function as part of our ‘whole health approach’, rather than accepting the short-sighted ‘short-list’! of so called causes of kidney harm…that’d be: HBP, Diabetes, Obesity, Smoking…oh and Age!
I’ve been on a kidney health crusade for many years now and I’m thrilled to see an increasing number of praccies beside me at the frontline!
But I think where our conversations & clinical skills have still been coming up short is with regard to ‘true cause’ and therefore also ‘course-correction’
Now that renal markers have our attention (!!) we’re noticing premature decline in GFRs in patients who actually do not fit with anything on this list…oh except ageing…the good ol’ explain-all for everything 🙄 I’ve seen patients in their 90s with better renal function than their children 30 yrs younger. Age does not cause CKD, something…a culmination typically of many things in fact – primary (causes) secondary (catalysts) and tertiary (contributors) – unique to each individual, crushes our kidneys! And is the real place of understanding we need to reach – such that we can actually personalise the prescription required for course correction.
I’ve just recorded two new offerings in this space (with one more in the oven!)
Our most recent Cracking The Case Session – Chronic Kidney Dx – Causation & Course Correction
& our very latest Update in Under 30: CKD- Causes Catalysts & Contributions
Both of these come with our, can I just say…⭐kick-arse clinical tool⭐ that guides you through the work-up of every case of lower GFR than expected, including a comprehensive compendium of medications implicated and they are some of our most common! So if you’re a clinician with not much more than ‘corn silk’ filed in your cranium under ‘kidney’…ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm the time is now!⏰
You can purchase CKD – Causes, Catalysts & Contributors here. If you are an Update in Under 30 Subscriber, you will find it waiting for you in your online account. You can become an Update in Under 30 Subscriber to access this episode and the entire library of Update in Under 30 audios and resources here.