Self Diagnosis for Kidney Disease?

By Rachel Berman, RD, CSR, CDN, VP of Operations for SkinnyandtheCity.com

You can do everything on the internet these days: buy groceries, pay your bills, and even diagnose yourself with a life-threatening disease. Well, not exactly. But credible information from the internet can help people identify risk factors for serious clinical conditions and help guide them through the treatment they need.

An article in the New York Times this week documented one woman’s journey as she changed the course of her life with information she got from the web. Two different doctors could not explain her weight gain, high blood pressure despite multiple meds and elevated creatinine, so when she saw an advertisement for a free screening from the National Kidney Foundation, she jumped on the chance. About nine years ago, the NKF founded an initiative called KEEP (Kidney Early Evaluation Program) which is still going strong nationwide.

KEEP was started because family practice doctors and internists are not necessarily calculating estimated GFR (glomular filtration rate) even when a patient shows multiple signs of kidney disease such as high blood pressure, increased creatinine, and repeated kidney infections. This program, which has so far examined 130,000 participants, screens those with common kidney disease risk factors. In fact, half of the first 11,000 tested had evidence of kidney disease but only about 3% knew that beforehand.

This patient discovered that indeed her GFR was 49, a sign of a more chronic kidney problem. Can you blame her for not going back to those doctors for treatment? Instead, she turned to the internet and made changes on her own with regards to her diet and exercise. She cut out foods high in phosphorus and sodium, started making more wholesome meal choices, and kept to a regular exercise routine. After 6 months, she dropped her excess weight, and her blood pressure and GFR normalized.

Ah, the power of prevention. This rings especially true for lifestyle changes which can slow and actually halt disease progression without need for any medicine at all. Unfortunately, often times we just don’t reach the patient (physically or mentally) early enough whether it’s because of poor socioeconomic status, lack of screening when certain conditions are present, or simply the patient is noncompliant with the treatment for their underlying, kidney-damaging condition. And once these patients require ongoing dialysis or undergo transplantation, billions of dollars are easily added to the nation’s health care costs.

The internet is a powerful tool. In this case, it was able to reach a patient in need, diagnose, educate, and even save money. However, there is a lot of bs to sift through on the web and those with an unfavorable socioeconomic status can’t necessarily reap its benefits. Eventually, will responsible websites replace health care professionals? Perhaps to some small degree. But, even with the most credible information out there, it’s ultimately up to the individual to take responsibility for their own health, seek out professional advice, and take action when necessary.