Check-ups key to curbing kidney disease

THREE million people are at risk of kidney disease yet few obtain a simple check-up at their doctor's surgery, a charity said today.

A blood pressure check could catch the disease in its early stages and save lives, according to Kidney Research UK.

High blood pressure can damage kidneys and is the second most common cause of kidney disease after diabetes.

There are currently 1.7m people living with kidney disease in the UK.

Bolton Wanderers and Croatia striker Ivan Klasnic has had two kidney transplants that could possibly have been prevented.

He said: "Had my kidney disease been picked up early I feel that I could have avoided having not one, but two kidney transplants."

More than 3,000 people die every year while on dialysis.