If you have a strong family history of kidney disease, urinary tract infections, or another kidney-related condition, you may be very concerned about your health. Some families may be predisposed to kidney-related conditions, including kidney failure and polycystic kidney disease. Learn how you can protect your kidneys below.
Screen Your Kidneys
One of the ways to protect your kidneys is to screen them. Kidney screening tests allow doctors to evaluate the health and stability of your kidneys. The tests may find abnormal cell development in your blood or in the tissues inside your kidneys.
Some types of kidney screening tests allow doctors to evaluate the creatinine levels in your blood and urine. Your muscles produce creatinine after they break down the substance creatine. Creatinine enters your blood supply, then travels to your kidneys for elimination. If your kidneys don't work properly, they can build up with creatinine. If kidney screening tests reveal high levels of creatinine, you may have problems with your kidneys.
If you do show high levels of creatinine or signs of another kidney-related illness, doctors may choose to treat your condition. If your screening results return negative, but you still have concerns about your kidneys, consider DNA testing.
Consider DNA Testing
Genetic testing isn't just used to determine the paternity of children. Testing can also help doctors detect abnormal genes in your body. One of the tests that may be available to help you is kidney DNA testing.
A number of kidney conditions develop in response to mutated genes, including polycystic kidney disease. Normal blood and urine testing may not reveal any signs of the diseases until they damage your kidneys. Some types of conditions can cause the kidneys to fail if they go undetected. However, DNA testing may reveal the genes that cause problems with your kidneys.
If you're interested in genetic kidney testing, contact a DNA testing company for more information. If a specialist offers kidney DNA testing, they may need to submit a sample of your blood and/or urine. Some of your family members may also need to submit blood samples for testing. If your DNA tests uncover the presence of mutated genes in your blood or in the blood of your family members, you can see a doctor for additional treatment.
To learn more about DNA or genetic testing for your kidneys or another health concern, consult a DNA testing company or service provider today.
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