Chronic kidney disease (KCD) is one of the most misdiagnosed disorders in the United States. According to kidney.org, approximately 37 million people have some form of KCD. However, only 90 percent of people with kidney disease know they contracted it.
There are many reasons for the misdiagnosis of KCD. Unfortunately, many doctors do not recognize KCD until it reaches stage three. This makes treatment much more complex and lowers your chance of survival. Keep an eye out for the following symptoms and seek a second opinion if you have doubts about your kidney health.
Misleading creatinine levels
The difficulty with diagnosing KCD is that the disease exhibits many symptoms that may seem harmless, even to medical professionals. For example, as people age, the creatinine level in their blood tends to decrease. However, the healthy amount of creatinine for everyone varies depending on the person’s diet, exercise or another existing disease. Paradoxically, this means that KCD is overdiagnosed and underdiagnosed in the United States. People with fluctuating levels in their blood might have perfectly healthy kidneys, while seemingly normal levels of creatinine might not indicate the beginning stages of KCD.
Overlooked common symptoms
Your doctor might overlook even more apparent symptoms. For example, if you lose your appetite, experience dizziness, lack energy, or suffer from sudden back or side pain, you might want to ask your doctor about kidney disease. The difficulty is that the known symptoms might not relate to kidney disease.
Kidney disease treatment is a developing area of medicine. Unfortunately, misdiagnosis is common. Stay up to date with your bloodwork, and look out for the symptoms to improve your chances of an early and accurate diagnosis.
