Screening for kidney disease at 45 may save thousands of people from deadly heart conditions, experts claim People with diabetes and hypertension have increased risk of kidney disease By Ethan Ennals For The Mail On Sunday Published: 01:01 BST, 26 May 2024 | Updated: 01:01 BST, 26 May 2024 e-mail View comments Testing at age 45 for early signs of kidney disease could save hundreds of thousands of people from deadly heart conditions, experts have warned. A study shows that offering all patients who have diabetes and hypertension a blood test for the condition could prevent nearly 170,000 heart attacks and 109,000 strokes over the next decade. People with these conditions have an increased risk of kidney disease, which is closely linked to heart disease.
But thousands are diagnosed too late to benefit from new treatments. Now one of the study's authors has called on the NHS to expand screening for kidney disease to all adults. 'We strongly believe screening for kidney disease could change the trajectory of the disease for many patients, saving them from severe outcomes like heart attacks and strokes,' says Dr Navdeep Tangri, a nephrologist at the University of Manitoba, Canada .
'Screening at 45 would work best because that's the age the disease starts to show up.' Chronic kidney disease occurs when the kidneys – which remove waste products from the blood and produce urine – no longer work as they should (stock image) The new study, presented yesterday at the European Renal.
