Kidney & Liver Health by Karthik

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Kidney & Liver Health

Kidney Disease Is Serious — Do You Know the Risk Factors?

Elizabeth Myles National Executive Director, The Kidney Foundation of Canada

Cyril Muise National Board Member, The Kidney Foundation of Canada

A kidney disease diagnosis can change your life, so it’s important to be aware of the risks. Tania Amardeil

ver yone understands how important the heart, lungs, and brain are to our health and survival, but the kidneys — two unassuming bean-shaped, fistsized organs located just below the rib cage — are often overlooked. “Kidney disease is a serious health issue and many Canadians don’t know that,” says Elizabeth Myles, National Executive Director of The Kidney Foundation of Canada. “K idneys prima rily function to eliminate waste, regulate water, help balance minerals, and produce hormones in the body. If somebody’s kidneys fail, it’s a life-threatening issue t hat ’s on ly ma na ged by going on dialysis or having a kidney transplant.”

A silent disease

If you or a loved one is living with kidney disease, visit kidney.ca to access education and support materials. This article was sponsored by The Kidney Foundation of Canada.

WHY KIDNEY DISEASE SHOULD MATTER TO YOU

A life-changing diagnosis Cyril Muise, a Calgary-based volunteer and National Board Member with The Kidney Foundation of Canada, was diagnosed with kidney failure in 1998. “I didn’t have any real warning signs,” he recalls. “I had been doing regular check-ups with my family physician and I was very healthy.” The diagnosis impacted Muise and his family’s lives dramatically. He went on dialysis and eventually received a kidney transplant from his wife. Over two decades later, he’s still in constant contact with his transplant team and receives regular check-ups. Muise’s experience led him to The Kidney Foundation of Canada, where he received invaluable support. “The Kidney Foundation gave me the knowledge to take better charge of my life and my health,” he says. In the process, Muise became a passionate advocate for kidney research, prevention, and supportive services for people living with kidney disease. The Kidney Foundation provides a range of services, programs, and education to help Canadians with kidney disease and those at risk, including information about treatments, peer support, kidney-friendly recipes, and more. “We also have a risk awareness quiz, at kidney.ca/risk, and we invite everybody to spend a few minutes to identify if they’re at risk,” says Myles.

Kidneys primarily function to eliminate waste, regulate water, help balance minerals, and produce hormones in the body.

Under s t a nd i n g wh at kidney disease is and being aware of its risk factors is essential, particularly since one in ten Canadians either have kidney disease or are at risk. In many cases, kidney disease can be prevented or, if identified early, its progression can be slowed. Most kidney diseases attack the filtering units of the kidneys — the nephrons — impacting their ability to eliminate wastes and excess fluids. “The leading risk factors are diabetes and high blood pressure,” says Myles. “Family history can also be a risk factor.” Unfortunately, kidney disease can be a silent disease. “Often, you may not know you

1 10

have it until permanent damage has been done,” says Myles.

Canadians have kidney disease.1 And numbers are on the rise.*

Kidneys are vital organs that are required for survival and quality of life.

Symptoms may not develop until permanent damage has occurred.

77%

of Canadians waiting for an organ transplant are waiting for a kidney. Source: 1 Manns, Braden et al. “The Financial Impact of Advanced Kidney Disease on Canada Pension Plan and Private Disability Insurance Costs” Canadian journal of kidney health and disease vol. 4 2054358117703986. 17 Apr. 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5406196/ *Excludes Quebec

Strategic Account Manager: Madison Trajkovski Strategic Account Director: Jessica Golyatov Content Strategist: Emma Yordanov Country Manager: Nina Theodorlis Content & Production Manager: Raymond Fan Designer: Kylie Armishaw Content & Web Editor: Karthik Talwar All images are from Getty Images unless otherwise credited. This section was created by Mediaplanet and did not involve The Toronto Star or its editorial departments. Send all inquiries to ca.editorial@mediaplanet.com. @MediaplanetCA

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A SPECIAL INTEREST SECTION BY MEDIAPLANET

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The Top Liver-Healthy Tips That Every Canadian Should Know March is Liver Health Month, encouraging Canadians to learn more about the many types of liver disease — over 100 — that may affect one in four Canadians (8.6 million Canadians). Canadian Liver Foundation

iver Health Month is a time to learn more about your liver and liver disease prevention. To help jumpstart your liver health, we’re sharing liver-healthy tips to remember.

Be mindful of your alcohol consumption and don’t mix alcohol and medication. If you choose to drink, limit your intake to one to two drinks.

Start by incorporating more fruits and vegetables, increasing your water intake, and moderating refined sugars.

Steer clear of toxins. Pesticides and other toxins can injure liver cells. Read the warning labels on the chemicals that you use and wear a mask and ventilate your space when using them.

Prevent hepatitis A, B, and C in three simple steps.

Get your steps in! Exercise has many wellknown benefits for those living with liver disease, including reducing the fat in your liver, decreasing liver inflammation, and boosting your overall mood.

Get vaccinated for hepatitis A and B, practise safe sex, and wash your hands often.

Be your own advocate. Basic liver tests aren’t a part of annual health care check-ups. Know the signs and symptoms of liver disease to engage in liver-healthy discussions with your doctor.

Eat a well-balanced diet to prevent liver disease and aid in the treatment of liver disease.

Throughout the month of March, the Canadian Liver Foundation is inviting Canadians to “Just Ask.” Submit your liver disease questions, no matter how big or small, and its panel of experts, community members, and staff will answer submitted questions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

For more information and to submit your question, go to liver.ca/ justask.

Knowledge Is Power for Canadians Living With Kidney Cancer Christine Collins, Executive Director, Kidney Cancer Canada

idney cancer, like kidney disease, can be a silent disease. Often there are no symptoms until it’s advanced and found incidentally by ultrasound or scan when checking for other conditions. When diagnosed at a more advanced stage, the options for treatment can be more challenging.

the next steps required. If the tumour is relatively small and localized (early stage), active surveillance with close monitoring and regular diagnostic tests or surgery to completely remove the tumour if possible are the most common treatments.

Knowing what to look for Suggested causes of kidney cancer are smoking, obesity, family history or genetics, high blood pressure, and advanced kidney disease. Symptoms that can appear are flank or back pain, feeling a lump or a thickening, and blood in the urine. There are no screening methods for kidney cancer, but regular medical checkups to monitor kidney health and a base ultrasound or CT scan for future reference are good preventative steps. Creatinine and eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) tests are two simple and worthwhile blood tests to have at your regular check-up appointments. The diagnosis of a mass in the kidney doesn’t automatically mean that it’s kidney cancer. It’s possible that it’s a benign growth and doing a biopsy, or having it surgically removed, would determine the pathology and the type, stage, and grade of the mass and subsequently

Kidney cancer is a unique disease. There’s no cure, but there are many kidney cancer patients living and thriving with no evidence of disease.

The importance of education There are options of surgery methods, depending on the size, position, and complexity of the tumour. The options of open or laparoscopic, including robotic, surgery and whether a radical (complete removal)

or partial (partial removal) nephrectomy is needed are determined and performed by a urologist or uro-oncologist. When the cancer is more advanced, the types of treatment options are different and immunotherapy drugs offer excellent options for cancer that has spread. Systemic treatment would be prescribed and monitored by an oncologist and could be used in conjunction with surgery or radiation therapy. Kidney cancer is a unique disease. There’s no cure, but there are many kidney cancer patients living and thriving with no evidence of disease. How the disease and treatment affects one patient can be completely different for another. It’s vital for Canadians diagnosed with or caring for someone with kidney cancer to educate themselves about the disease and the available treatment options so they can make the best possible decisions with their doctor for their individual situation. Kidney Cancer Canada can provide all needed information and offer patients the opportunity to connect with others who have already been on this cancer journey for peer support. Kidney Cancer Canada also works collaboratively with ELLICSR Kitchen at UHN and The Kidney Foundation of Canada to provide information focused on kidney health for the patient community.

This article was sponsored by one of Canada's leading research based pharmaceutical companies.