What is Kidney Disease Diagnosis & Treatment?
Kidney disease diagnosis involves blood and urine tests, most commonly checking your creatinine and eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate), to assess how well your kidneys are filtering waste from your blood. It is commonly recommended for patients with risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure or a family history of kidney disease, as well as those with symptoms such as unusual tiredness, swelling in the legs or ankles, or changes in how often they need to urinate.
If a problem is identified, treatment can range from medication and lifestyle changes to manage early-stage chronic kidney disease, through to more specialist care such as management of complex or resistant high blood pressure. Conveniently located in St John’s Wood (NW8), we offer this care to patients across London with a focus on safety and compassionate care.
Who is Kidney Disease Diagnosis & Treatment suitable for?
- Patients with risk factors for kidney disease, such as diabetes, high blood pressure or a family history of kidney problems
- Unexplained tiredness, swelling in the legs or ankles, or changes in urination
- Patients who want a baseline kidney health check as part of routine screening
- Patients with an existing kidney condition who want ongoing specialist monitoring and management
Your consultant will review your test results alongside your medical history and any symptoms before recommending the most appropriate next steps.
Specialists who provide Kidney Disease Diagnosis & Treatment
How to pay for your treatment
If you’re… paying for yourself
Did you know you don’t need private medical insurance to come to St John & St Elizabeth Hospital? As a self-pay patient, you can access safe, outstanding quality health care at times to suit you.
For scans and tests, as well as to see most consultants, you’ll still need to be referred by a medical professional like your GP, but as a self-pay patient, the process is more straightforward. You won’t need authorisation from an insurance provider, and you’ll have greater choice of consultant and appointment times.
If you’re… insured
St John & St Elizabeth Hospital is approved by all major medical insurance companies. If you have a personal private health insurance policy, or your company provide it for you, you can use it to pay for your care from your initial consultation through to treatment, surgery and aftercare such as physiotherapy. Not all private health insurance plans cover the same things. It’s very important to check exactly what you are covered for with your insurance provider.
Frequently Asked Questions About Kidney Disease Diagnosis
A kidney function test usually measures creatinine, urea and electrolytes in your blood, which are used to calculate your eGFR, an estimate of how well your kidneys are filtering waste. It can help detect early signs of kidney disease, often before you notice any symptoms.
Early kidney disease often causes no noticeable symptoms at all, which is why testing is so important for those at higher risk. When symptoms do appear, they can include tiredness, swelling in the legs or ankles, changes in urination, or difficulty concentrating.
Most patients are referred by their GP, but as a self-pay patient at St John & St Elizabeth Hospital, you can also arrange an assessment directly, including through our private GP service if you don’t yet have a referral.
St John & St Elizabeth Hospital is located in St John’s Wood (NW8), easily accessible for patients from Hampstead (NW3), Kilburn (NW6) and across North and Central London.
By Tube: St John’s Wood station (Jubilee Line) is a 5-minute walk to and from St John & St Elizabeth Hospital.
By Bus: Routes 13, 46 and 113 stop near St John’s Wood Underground Station. Routes 139 and 189 stop on Abbey Road.
By Car: Finchley Road and Kilburn High Road provide direct routes from NW3 and NW6.
If you have a morning appointment, have a very light breakfast of tea/coffee and toast.
If you have an afternoon appointment, you should finish your breakfast by 8am and not have anything else to drink before your procedure.
Once you have checked in with the reception, you will be asked to sign a consent form and taken through to the waiting room.
You may be sent for an abdominal x-ray prior to your procedure and you may be given some pain relief. You will then be asked to to like on on the table either on your back, your side or your front. The radiographer will then apply a gel to your skin.
During your treatment you will be asked to breath as normal and stay still. The radiographer will the place the device on your body to locate the stone. Each pressure wave will feel like someone is flicking your skin with an elastic band, but this shouldn’t hurt.
Shockwave kidney stone removal usually lasts about 30-40 minutes for each session. Lithotripsy is a day case procedure so you will be able to go home after the treatment.
Some patients may require additional sessions to complete the treatment.
After your treatment, you’ll be asked to rest in the recovery area and drink plenty of fluids.
You may experience some bruising/ reddening over the treatment area but that is nothing to be concerned about as this is normal. It is also normal to see some blood in your urine after your treatment and will pass after a few days.
If you experience discomfort, you can take pain relief but you should avoid aspirin.
If you experience any fever, shivering or feel unwell you should contact your GP or your urologist as this maybe a sign of an infection.
After your treatment you should rest for the remainder of the day and return to your normal activities and work when you feel able. You should aim to drink at least 2 litres of water a day following lithotripsy.
It’s important to keep as active as you can during the first days following treatment as this will help move the fine stone fragments through your system.
Recovery from lithotripsy is generally very quick. As it is a day procedure, you will be able to go home on the same day and resume normal activities within a day or two. Your consultant will provide specific aftercare instructions to ensure a smooth recovery and help prevent the formation of future stones.
Shockwave kidney stone removal does not hurt, but some patients describe it as feeling like being twanged with an elastic band. It should only be mildly uncomfortable.
Shockwave lithotripsy involves using a machine called a lithotripter to target the kidney stones with sound waves. These sound waves will break the stone into little pieces which will make it easier to pass. This method doesn’t use surgery to treat the kidney stones.
The majority of people with kidney stones would be eligible for lithotripsy, but there some people who cannot have this treatment, including:
- People on anticoagulation medication who have not stopped it 7 days before
- If you are pregnant or breastfeeding
- If you have a UTI
- Are over 135kg
- Have hypertension (high blood pressure)
Yes there are alternative treatments to lithotripsy. Depending on the size of your kidney stones, your consultants may recommend you pass the stones naturally, or have laser kidney stone removal or large kidney stone removal.