The diagnosis of kidney disease and its management can be difficult, especially at advanced stages of the disease. Both for the patient and for those looking after this, participation in daily activities, work, travel and socialization can be troublesome and can cause such secondary effects as tiredness, pain, depression, cognitive, gastrointestinal and sleep disorders. According to data of the National Public Health Agency, the incidence of urogenital disorders in Moldova in 2019 was of 182.4 cases per 10,000 people. The data were presented in connection with World Kidney Day that in celebrated on the second Thursday in March, IPN reports.
If persons are in the risk group as regards the appearance of kidney diseases, they should go to the family doctor to do three simple tests that can save their lives. If the blood pressure is high, the small kidney blood vessels can be affected and this is the second cause of renal failure after diabetes mellitus. The best value is considered that under 120/80 or under 130/80 in the case of persons with chronic kidney diseases, while under 140/90 is a value good for most of the persons.
Proteins in urine should also be checked. The presence of albumin in urine can be an early sign of kidney disease. When proteins are found regularly in urine, this is a sign of kidney injury. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is the best test to measure the level of kidney function. A GFR under 60 mL/min/1.73 m² may indicate kidney disease. The lower the GFR number, the worse the kidney function.
Kidney transplant is a method of treating terminal chronic kidney disease. In Moldova, the first deceased-donor kidney transplant was performed on September 25, 1982. As many as 355 kidney transplant surgeries have been performed so far. A number of 106 patients who underwent such operations were under supervision at the end of 2019.
According to the Ministry of Health, the ratio of patients involved in kidney function substitution methods (hemodialysis + kidney transplant) in Moldova on December 31, 2019 was of 251.3 per 1 million, including 221 persons in dialysis treatment per 1 million people and 30.3 persons with kidney transplant per 1 million people.
