Top 5 Myths About Kidney Disease You Shouldn't Believe

Kidney disease is a serious health condition that affects many people worldwide. However, it is often not the disease itself that causes the most harm, but rather the misconceptions and poor management surrounding it. In today’s article, I will discuss five prevalent myths that can worsen your kidney disease and lead to further complications.

Hello and welcome. I’m Dr. Waiz, speaking to you from the Expert Qansara Clinic in Lahore. Today, we’re broadcasting from one of our studios to bring you the latest and most accurate information on kidney disease. Kidney disease is a topic surrounded by many myths in every culture, and it's crucial to address these myths head-on and educate patients. Unfortunately, in our culture, there’s often a reluctance to challenge these misconceptions, leading to widespread misinformation.

These misconceptions are so overwhelming and pervasive that they often make the truth seem wrong. In this article, we’ll discuss five major myths that could be making your kidney disease worse every day and preventing you from managing your condition properly.

Myth #1: There’s No Cure for Kidney Disease

One of the biggest myths is that there’s no treatment for kidney disease. I’ve explained before that in our culture, “treatment” is often misunderstood to mean completely eradicating a disease as if it never existed, with no need for medication, and restoring the patient to perfect health. However, the reality is that many conditions, including kidney disease, diabetes, and heart disease, are chronic conditions.

Chronic conditions, including kidney disease, cannot be entirely eradicated. They are part of the natural aging process, and while some aspects of these conditions can be improved, others cannot. Kidney disease, like diabetes and high blood pressure, is a chronic condition. It cannot be completely eliminated or cured.

However, if kidney disease is detected at a very early stage, it is possible to reverse some of its effects and prevent further damage. I will discuss this in more detail in future articles. Unfortunately, by the time most patients in our culture visit a nephrologist or even a general doctor for kidney disease, it’s often too late for the disease to be fully reversed or cured.

When a doctor explains this to a patient, the patient often becomes hopeless, thinking nothing can be done. But that’s not what the doctor means. Even at this stage, there’s still much that can be done to manage kidney disease effectively, which we’ve discussed in many previous articles. This management includes controlling blood pressure, managing diabetes, improving heart health, and making lifestyle modifications such as exercise, diet, sleep, and mental health care. Medications can also slow down the progression of kidney disease.

So, if someone tells you that there’s no cure for kidney disease, don’t accept this information at face value. Consider that they may mean the disease cannot be completely eradicated. However, with the right treatments and modern medications, we can significantly slow down the progression of kidney disease and improve kidney health to the point where you may never need dialysis.

Myth #2: There’s Nothing We Can Do About Proteinuria

The second major myth is that nothing can be done about proteinuria (protein in the urine). Proteinuria indicates damage to the kidney’s structure, with the most common causes being diabetes and, to a lesser extent, high blood pressure. Autoimmune diseases like glomerulonephritis, membranous nephropathy, and IgA nephropathy are also significant causes.

When protein starts to appear in the urine due to any of these conditions, it’s a sign that the kidneys are being damaged. However, there are effective treatments available for proteinuria. The same medications used to manage blood pressure and diabetes can also reduce proteinuria and slow down kidney disease progression.

There are three main groups of medications we frequently discuss in episodes about proteinuria: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs), and Sodium-Glucose Co-Transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. Additionally, a new drug called sparsentan has recently been approved in the United States for IgA nephropathy and may soon be approved for FSGS (focal segmental glomerulosclerosis). This drug could also be used to improve proteinuria in kidney disease patients.

Having these four treatment options does not mean that every patient with proteinuria needs all four medications. In some cases, early detection of kidney disease may allow a patient to improve significantly with just one medication. If a patient’s blood pressure and proteinuria are well controlled with a single drug, there’s no need to add another unless it’s required for another condition.

But if needed, we now have more options than ever before. So, if someone tells you that proteinuria cannot be reduced, educate yourself with this article and calmly explain that there is evidence showing that proteinuria can indeed be reduced, and I’ll share some patient reports in this article to demonstrate how we can effectively manage it.

Myth #3: All Kidney Disease Patients End Up on Dialysis

Another prevalent myth is that all kidney disease patients eventually require dialysis. While this might be true in some cases in countries like Pakistan and India, where early detection and management are lacking, it is not universally true. In the United States, for example, there are approximately 37 million people with kidney disease, but only around 800,000 are on dialysis. This shows that only a small percentage of kidney disease patients ever require dialysis.

The reason why so few patients in the U.S. end up on dialysis is due to early detection and proper management of kidney disease. With the right care, patients can live healthy lives without ever needing dialysis. Unfortunately, in places where kidney disease is diagnosed at a very late stage, like in Pakistan and India, it’s not surprising that many patients end up needing dialysis.

The key is early detection and proper management. If kidney disease is detected and managed well early on, the progression can be slowed significantly, and the need for dialysis can be avoided. It’s also crucial to avoid misinformation, such as the myth that there’s no treatment for kidney disease or that proteinuria cannot be improved. Without accurate information, patients may not even realize they have kidney disease until it’s too late.

Conclusion

Misinformation and myths about kidney disease can be incredibly harmful, leading to unnecessary anxiety, poor management, and worsened health outcomes. However, by educating yourself and challenging these myths, you can take control of your kidney health and improve your quality of life. Remember, while kidney disease is a chronic condition, it can be managed effectively with the right knowledge and care.