On 8^th March 2018, it’s World Kidney Day, a global campaign aimed at raising awareness of the importance of good kidney health. With a similar agenda to that of Randox, whose vision it is to ensure patients across the globe have access to the latest advancements in health technology, World Kidney Day works to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems.

This year, the World Kidney Day theme is Kidneys and Women’s Health, to highlight that approximately 195 million women worldwide are affected by Chronic Kidney Disease. In 2018 World Kidney Day and International Women’s Day are recognised on the same date, offering the perfect opportunity to reflect on the importance of women’s health and specifically their kidney health.

CKD is currently the 8^th leading cause of death in women, with close to 600,000 deaths each year.

According to some studies, CKD is more likely to develop in women compared with men, with an average 14% prevalence in women compared to 12% in men.

However, the number of women successfully put on dialysis for their Chronic Kidney Disease is lower than the number of men – potentially due to slower progression of the disease, inequitable access to transplantation, and a general lower disease awareness.

It is therefore fitting that World Kidney Day has chosen Women’s Health as its theme for this year – due to the clear need for a higher awareness, timely diagnosis and proper follow up of kidney issues amongst women.

With a comprehensive panel of kidney health tests, Randox are working to ensure timely diagnosis of kidney function problems, to ensure that necessary treatment is administered at the earliest possible stage, when it is most likely to be successful.

For example, the Randox test for albumin, low concentrations of which are the earliest marker of kidney damage, can identify individuals with diabetic nephropathy (damage to the kidneys caused by diabetes) around 10 years earlier than standard protein tests. The Randox albumin test can therefore enable preventative measures to be taken to reduce your risk of developing kidney disease.

In addition to albumin, there are a number of other highly specific and sensitive tests for kidney health, which are available as part of a Randox Health Check at our Randox Health Clinics. These include;

• Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate, which is an equation that considers age, gender, blood and protein levels to determine how well the kidneys are functioning.
• Creatinine, which is a waste product produced by muscle tissue, and removed by the kidneys. When kidney function is diminished, creatinine levels increase.
• Other proteins within the body which should be filtered by the kidneys, and are therefore measured to determine kidney function, include;
• Cystatin C
• Beta-2-Microglobulin
• Microalbumin, which is not usually found in urine, but can appear when normal kidney function is impaired.
• Minerals processed by the kidneys and analysed by Randox Health include;
• Magnesium
• Calcium
• Phosphate
• Potassium
• Sodium

Both World Kidney Day and Randox are working towards improving healthcare worldwide. With access to these high-performance kidney health tests, patients with kidney problems can be diagnosed early, before the condition develops into something more serious.

Although end stage kidney failure affects only 0.05% of the general population, it commands between one and two billion pounds a year of the entire annual NHS budget. We know that loss of kidney function is devastating and hope our innovations can identify those at risk of kidney problems before they occur.

One such test for Chronic Kidney Disease risk measures levels of the protective hormone adiponectin, and is available exclusively at Randox.

Adiponectin can accurately assess levels of hidden and dangerous visceral fat within the body, which is the main cause of almost all the disorders associated with metabolic syndrome, including Chronic Kidney Disease. Assessing adiponectin can determine risk of CKD, as well as a range of other illnesses including prediabetes, cardiovascular disease and various cancers.

By using adiponectin to assess risk of kidney problems, we can empower individuals with the tools they need to prevent kidney problems in their future.

With early diagnosis we can improve patient treatment outcomes and reduce the number of people across the world suffering with kidney health problems.

If you are a clinician or lab interested in running renal function assays, download our Reagents Brochure or email reagents@randox.com

If you want to find out the status of your own Kidney Health, book a health check with Randox Health today. Speak to our team by phoning 0800 2545 130.