Safescreen Home Test Kits

The proper functioning of your kidneys is vital to your health. Since the early stages of kidney disease do not produce any symptoms, Kidney disease is usually advanced by the time symptoms do appear. Taking a home test for kidneys function may identify kidney disease at an early stage and allow you consult a specialist and get the proper treatment quickly. Safescreen’s home health test can accurately detect the presence of a protein, micro albumin, in your urine which is an early indication of kidney disease.

What are the symptoms of kidney disease?

Kidney disease can be accompanied by vague symptoms of just feeling generally unwell.  Unfortunately, most people do not feel unwell until the later stages of kidney disease, when damage has already occurred and the kidneys are not working properly. However, some kidney problems, such as infections or kidney stones, can cause intense pain and require immediate attention.

Signs and symptoms of moderate or severe kidney disease may include:

• Weakness and fatigue
• Urinating frequently at night
• Itchiness of the skin that may slowly get worse
• Pale skin that bruises easily
• Muscular twitches, cramps and pain (restless legs syndrome)
• Pins and needles in the hands and feet
• Feeling sick and loss of appetite
• Swelling of the face, arms, legs and abdomen

What do the kidneys do?

Your two kidneys are vital organs located either side of your spine. Their function is to keep your blood clean and chemically balanced by filtering waste and toxic substances out of your bloodstream and returning vitamins, amino acids, glucose, hormones and other vital substances into it.

What is kidney disease?

Kidney disease is the term used by doctors to include any abnormality of the kidneys, including very slight damage. The most common form of kidney disease is chronic kidney disease (CKD). ‘Chronic’ simply means a condition that does not get better and is long lasting. CKD often gets worse over time and the damage to the kidneys is permanent. It is important to diagnose and treat kidney disease early, before people need treatment with dialysis or a transplant (due to kidney failure), because early detection and treatment may stop the condition getting worse and further damage. CKD usually happens slowly, but fortunately, relatively few people go on to develop kidney failure.

What causes kidney disease?

There are many reasons why people develop kidney disease, and it's not always possible identify the cause. However, the two most common causes of kidney disease are diabetes and high blood pressure.

How do I Perform the Test?

As with all SafeScreen’s home test kits, everything you need to carry out and interpret a test is included with your order. The test for kidney disease can be performed discretely, in the privacy of your home by following the easy step by step instructions. Results are available in minutes rather than the days or weeks normally required to obtain laboratory results.

The test detects the presence of protein and blood in the urine, indications of kidney disease.
Kidney disease is usually advanced by the time symptoms appear. The presence of proteins in urine is abnormal as most proteins are too large to pass through the kidney. When kidneys are damaged, various sized proteins will pass through them. The proteins are excreted in the urine and their concentrations increase with progressive damage to the kidney. The first protein to enter the urine following kidney damage (albuminuria) is called albumin; a relatively small protein. The presence of small amounts of albumin (30-150 mg in a 24 hour urine collection) is called micro albuminuria; most routine urine tests cannot detect it. Its presence signifies minor or early stage kidney damage.

All orders for SafeScreen tests received before 4.15pm are dispatched the same day. Your test kit will be delivered discretely in plain, unmarked packaging with no indication of the contents inside the box. Boxes are then posted inside a secure mail bag to ensure your complete privacy.

How can I prevent any problems with my kidneys?

Chronic kidney disease cannot be prevented in most situations, but regular kidney function testing can help detect any problems with your kidneys, minimising any further damage through appropriate treatment. There are some things that everyone with CKD should try to do to help slow down the progression of chronic kidney disease, such as:

• Eat a healthy, balanced diet (a low-protein diet is thought to help prevent CKD)
• Avoid exposure to drugs especially NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
• Reduce the amount of salt in the diet in order to help reduce high blood pressure
• Drink about 2 litres of fluid a day
• Take regular exercise
• Lose weight 
• Stop smoking

What is the Treatment for Kidney disease?

Self-treatment is not appropriate for CKD and it must be managed by a specialised doctor called a nephrologist. Unfortunately there is no cure for CKD. Most people with CKD should be able to lead normal lives. Your doctor or health care provider will have four goals of therapy are as follows:

• To slow the progression of disease
• To treat underlying causes and contributing factors
• To treat complications of disease
• To replace lost kidney function

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