Health Awareness
Dr Douglas Clark PhD
Medical Director Boehringer Ingelheim UK & Ireland
This article was organised, funded and reviewed by Boehringer Ingelheim
Your kidneys may be telling you something important about your heart. This World Heart Day, learn why early diagnosis can uncover hidden risk before symptoms begin.
Did you know that kidney health and heart health are closely linked? If not, you’re not alone: it isn’t a connection that is widely talked about. Thankfully, World Heart Day is an opportunity to change that. That’s important because increasing awareness will help protect the heart and kidney health of more people.
“World Heart Day is a chance to broaden out the heart health conversation and stress the connection between heart health and kidney health,” notes Dr Douglas Clark, Medical Director at biopharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim UK & Ireland.
Early interventions can help improve outcomes
“I think of the kidneys as a window into the health of your heart. They provide an early warning sign because if there is an issue with your kidneys, it increases your risk of heart disease.”
The trouble is, someone can look and feel well while still living with hidden heart and kidney risk, which is why a focus on prevention and earlier diagnosis is a priority for the NHS.
“Kidney disease can progress silently so it may remain hidden,” explains Clark. “So, the message is: don’t wait for symptoms to emerge. If interventions can be made before people experience complications, it increases the chance of a better outcome for them and their families and reduces the burden on the health service.”
I think of the kidneys as a window into the health of your heart
Simple urine test can help prevent major complications
Clark stresses that people who are at risk of kidney disease — such as those living with type 2 diabetes or hypertension — should have a conversation with their healthcare teams about heart health. “People may not realise that a simple urine test can reveal vitally important information about both their kidney and their heart health,” says Clark.
Different organisations are working together to get this message across. “It’s gratifying to see growing collaboration between NHS professionals, patient organisations, charities, industry and others,” says Clark. “We all have a role to play in supporting earlier diagnosis, delivering better care, reducing health inequalities and, ultimately, supporting long-term heart and kidney health.”
