If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease or a family history of kidney disease, you may be at risk of kidney disease. In fact, up to 40 percent of people with diabetes and 35 percent with heart disease also have some level of kidney disease. As well, people of Asian, Aboriginal, African and South Asian descent are at increased risk.
If kidney disease is diagnosed early, its progression can often be slowed and sometimes stopped through medication and changes to lifestyle and diet.
If you are in one of the risk categories listed above, talk to your family doctor about assessing your kidney health with a quick and easy blood test.
You can also find out more about your risk level for kidney disease by completing a kidney self-assessment.