Kidney disease is on the rise

Kidney disease is on the rise

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Story Published: Aug 21, 2008 at 7:15 AM PDT

Story Updated: Nov 20, 2008 at 6:33 PM PDT

By Herb Weisbaum

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Kidney disease is on the rise. In fact, it's now more common than diabetes. I was surprised to learn that about 26 million Americans have kidney disease.

So what's causing the increase?

"More and more people are taking multiple medications, especially older people and that really overtaxes the organ," said Joel Keehn with Consumer Reports on Health.

High blood pressure and type 2 diabetes can also lead to kidney disease. So you need to make the lifestyle changes to lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of getting diabetes.

"Regular exercise, losing weight, eating right and if necessary take drugs to control those problems," Keehn said.

A lot of people don't realize that over-the-counter pain relievers, such Aleve, Advil, Motrin and Tylenol or their generic equivalents can cause kidney damage if taken for too long.

Kidney disease is often called the silent killer. It can take years for symptoms to show up. That's why Consumer Reports has this recommendation.

"People who are over age 60 in particular should make sure their doctor is checking their kidney function and anybody of any age who has a history of diabetes or high blood pressure or heart disease of one variety of another."

For More Information:

Consumer Reports: Silent killer on the rise

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