- 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

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