Simple Saliva Test Helps Diagnose Kidney Disease

Highlights

Kidney disease is the 9th leading cause of death in the US
Simple and inexpensive tools for the diagnosis of kidney disease are lacking
Saliva test helps in easy diagnosis of kidney disease

Simple Saliva Test Helps Diagnose Kidney Disease

A simple dipstick test for detecting the presence of salivary urea nitrogen was found to be accurate for diagnosing kidney disease in adults in Malawi, Africa.

Viviane Calice-Silva, MD, PhD (Pro-Kidney Foundation, Brazil) and her colleagues evaluated the diagnostic performance of a salivary urea nitrogen (SUN) dipstick, in Malawi, a low resource country in Africa.

Diabetic Kidney Disease
Diabetic nephropathy refers to kidney damage due very high levels of blood sugar levels in diabetics.

‘Dipstick Test - Easy and Inexpensive way to diagnose kidney disease’

742 people were selected for the study, out of which the research team diagnosed 146 patients with kidney disease using standard tests.

Increased SUN levels were associated not only with the standard diagnostic tests, but also with a higher risk of early death.

Kidney Disease - Statistics

Kidney disease is the 9th leading cause of death in the United States
31 million people in the US have chronic kidney disease (CKD)
CKD is more common among women
Diabetes and hypertension are the leading causes of kidney failure

Diagnosis of Chronic Kidney Disease

Blood tests to measure the level of waste products (creatinine and urea) in the blood
Urine tests to analyze urine sample for any abnormalities
Imaging tests to assess kidneys structure and size
Kidney biopsy to know the underlying cause of your kidney problem

"Our data suggest that SUN can improve the detection of kidney disease, increasing the awareness to this devastating complication," said Dr. Calice-Silva. "Also, higher awareness and detection of kidney disease in low resource settings may increase the number of patients who are diagnosed and referred, therefore providing appropriate treatment and improving outcomes."

Anemia in Children with Chronic Kidney Disease
A recent review listed out the causes, risk factors, complications and treatment of anemia in children with chronic kidney disease.

The test will be described at ASN Kidney Week 2016 November 15-20 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL

5 Secrets to Keeping Your Kidneys Healthy

Eat healthy foods - limit sodium intake, eat the right amount of protein and potassium
Hydrate yourself
Exercise regularly and quit smoking
Get regular kidney function screening
Control blood pressure and blood glucose levels

Source: Medindia

Quiz on Kidney
How healthy are your kidneys? Is it possible to lead healthy lives with just a single kidney? Learn more by taking part in this quiz.

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APA

Sheela Philomena. (2016, November 19). Simple Saliva Test Helps Diagnose Kidney Disease. Medindia. Retrieved on May 24, 2022 from https://www.medindia.net/news/healthwatch/simple-saliva-test-helps-diagnose-kidney-disease-165412-1.htm.
MLA

Sheela Philomena. "Simple Saliva Test Helps Diagnose Kidney Disease". Medindia. May 24, 2022. <https://www.medindia.net/news/healthwatch/simple-saliva-test-helps-diagnose-kidney-disease-165412-1.htm>.
Chicago
Sheela Philomena. "Simple Saliva Test Helps Diagnose Kidney Disease". Medindia. https://www.medindia.net/news/healthwatch/simple-saliva-test-helps-diagnose-kidney-disease-165412-1.htm. (accessed May 24, 2022).
Harvard
Sheela Philomena. 2021. Simple Saliva Test Helps Diagnose Kidney Disease. Medindia, viewed May 24, 2022, https://www.medindia.net/news/healthwatch/simple-saliva-test-helps-diagnose-kidney-disease-165412-1.htm.