- Dr Sudeep Singh Sachdev,
Nephrologist, Narayana super speciality Hospital, Gurugram
Hitting
the Nation as well as globally, the COVID pandemic continues to be a growing
health crisis day-by-day. With over six months of the crisis, the geriatric
population has been recorded to be affected the most and the age factor poses
an extreme threat to mortality and rate of infection. Even though the recovery
rate shows a positive outlook with
Even
though the Governments are taking very precautious steps during their unlock
phase, the public also need to take additional precautionary measures. The rate
of infection is fifteen folds higher in people aged 80 or above and is observed
to be around six folds in people above the age of 60 years. Data suggest that,
of the total cases of mortality due to COVID, around 15% of them have had a
history of some type of cardiac ailment leading to renal failure.
People with
kidney disease are much more prone to develop heart and blood vessel disease.
This increased risk is related to kidney disease and other health problems such
as diabetes, high blood pressure and certain lifestyle factors including being
overweight and smoking.
It is very important for patients suffering from kidney to take
steps for the prevention of heart and blood vessel problems. Once the
initiation is triggered towards a healthy heart, the kidneys are automatically
taken care of simultaneously. These are the following steps to following
order to keep your kidney as well as heart to be healthy: -
- Timely and regular test
- It turns out that
heart disease is a risk factor for kidney disease and kidney disease is a
known risk factor for heart disease. Hence, if you know you have one, you
should have yourself tested for the other.
- Eat a balanced, kidney
and heart healthy diet – Reduce sodium in your diet. Reduce foods that are high in
saturated fats and cholesterol like eggs, whole milk, cheese and fried
foods. Eat more foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids like cold water
fish flaxseed oil, canola oil and walnuts.
- Increase physical
activity - Physical activity like walking offers many health benefits,
including decreasing blood pressure, lowering blood fat levels, increasing
muscle strength, and helping control body weight which will make you feel
good.
- Maintain the Cholesterol
levels – High blood
levels of fats like cholesterol increases the chance of developing heart
and blood vessel problems. Simple blood tests can check for total
cholesterol and other fats in your blood. If your levels are too high, you
may need to follow a low-fat diet and exercise more. Some patients may
also need to take pills to help lower cholesterol.
- Control high blood
pressure – Follow
your treatment plan carefully to control high blood pressure. This will
help to protect your heart. Be sure to follow your fluid and sodium limits
to keep fluid from building up in your body and increasing your blood
pressure.
- Regular monitoring of Blood
Glucose levels – Over
time, having high blood sugar can cause damage to your eyes, nerves,
heart, blood vessels, and kidneys. Good control
of blood sugar and other self-management actions
can help slow or stop this damage from happening.
- Smoking cessation - The strongest risk factor for both kidney and
heart disease is smoking. Smoking causes hardening of the arteries which
causes both coronary artery disease and nephrosclerosis. Smoking is also a
risk factor for high blood pressure which can cause both heart and kidney
disease.
Get started
protecting your heart today! Set your own personal goals and begin making
changes one at a time. Your healthcare provider can help you prioritize your
areas of change. If you already have some degree of kidney dysfunction, you may
need to alter some of the above recommendations according to your unique
situation. Your kidney doctor and your dietician can assist with these changes.