mHealth will rescue you

About 1 in 10 people develop some degree of chronic kidney disease (CKD). It can occur at any age and various conditions can lead to CKD. Over 2 million people worldwide currently receive treatment with dialysis or a kidney transplant to stay alive, yet this number may only represent 10% of those who actually need treatment to survive (Source)

Most of us are fortunate to born with two kidneys and thus a healthy person can donate a kidney to a needy patient. While it is imperative to follow certain dietary restrictions if you are diagnosed with a kidney disease, it may be helpful to switch to a kidney friendly diet even if you have healthy kidneys.

Technology has made things easier for us and with the development of smartphone apps, taking care of yourself is easier than ever. Researchers came up with a digital sensing platform, termed Albumin Tester, running on a smartphone that can be useful for with either an early diagnosis of kidney disease or for monitoring of patients with an already diagnosed kidney disease, especially those suffering from diabetes, hypertension, and/or cardiovascular diseases.

There are few studies that support this approach. Although apps or technology alone cannot be used as a self-treatment method, they may help you to find the right direction. Consulting your physician before following the advice of these apps is a must to get the beneficial results.

According to one recent study, Integrating a smartphone–based self–management system into usual care of patients with advanced CKD proved feasible and acceptable, and it appeared to be clinically useful. The results provide a strong rationale for a randomized, controlled trial.

A recent study on this topic commented, “Patient self-management has been shown to improve health outcomes. We developed a smartphone-based system to boost self-care by patients with CKD and integrated its use into the usual CKD care. We determined its acceptability and examined changes in several clinical parameters.

Today, we have come up with some useful apps that are designed especially for kidney patients. Some of these are for dietary plans and others keep you abreast of the latest news and advancements in nephrology. Apps are listed in alphabetical order.

Advances in Chronic Kidney Disease

Now it’s easy to stay current with the latest professional research for chronic kidney disease. This app brings you the convenience of reading your favorite journal from anywhere in the world with just a tap.

Cost: Free

Compatibility: Requires iOS 9.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Link: iTunes

Care After Kidney Transplant

Developed by the National Kidney Foundation, this App for patients is a convenient way to learn how to stay healthy with a kidney transplant. It provides the answers to frequently asked questions about how and why it is important to follow all of the instructions and recommendations from your transplant team.

Cost: Free

Compatibility: Android, iPad, iPhone

Link: iTunes

CRN Pocket Guide

This app, from the National Kidney Foundation, will support the 5th edition of the Pocket Guide to Nutrition Assessment of the Patient with Kidney Disease and provides concentrated information that clinicians use on a regular basis.

Cost: Free

Compatibility: Android, iPad, iPhone

Link: iTunes

Dialysis Finder

The Dialysis Finder app quickly identifies your location and lets you choose the nearest Dialysis Clinic as well as get other information about the location. This is a convenient way to find a US Dialysis Clinic near you.

Cost: $0.99

Compatibility: Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Link: iTunes

H2O Overload: Fluid Control for Heart-Kidney Health

This has been designed by National Kidney Foundation for people who need to limit their fluid intake, especially for people with hyponatremia, kidney failure, or heart disease.

Cost: Free

Compatibility: Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Link: iTunes

HealthyOut Healthy Meal Finder

https://healthyout.com/

For the U.S, this quickly finds healthy restaurant dishes across the country. In over 500 cities, this allows searching by calories, nutrition tags like heart healthy and paleo, cuisines and more.

Cost: Free

Compatibility: iTunes/android

Link: android & itunes

HealthWatch 360

HealthWatch 360 is a scientifically designed nutrition app that helps you eat right for your health. Start with selecting a health and wellness goal: Weight Control, Boost Energy, Sports Nutrition, Longevity, Pregnancy, Acne and Skin Health, Type 2 Diabetes, Blood Pressure… Our scientific algorithm will generate a personalized nutrition plan for you and provide daily reports on your nutrition status. Count calories, monitor 30+ nutrients and track exercise plus health symptoms all in one app. Connects to FitBit, Moves and 23andMe.

Cost: Free

Compatibility: Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Link: android

My Food Coach

My Food Coach by the National Kidney Foundation is designed to help you understand and manage all of your nutritional requirements. This app offers personalized nutrition information.

Cost: Free

Compatibility: Requires iOS 8.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Link: iTunes

Managing Gout Patient App

“Managing Gout” by the National Kidney Foundation empowers patients with the most essential tools and information for controlling gout and protecting their kidneys. Guidance is provided on the optimal use of nutrition, lifestyle, and medication for the prevention and treatment of gout flares.

Cost: Free

Compatibility: Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Link: iTunes

KidneyDiet

KidneyDiet is provided to help you understand which foods are better for you if you have either Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) or End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Your doctor has probably advised you to watch your intake of potassium, protein, and phosphorus. This app is intended to make it easy for you to quickly determine which foods are a better choice for your particular diet.

Cost: Free

Compatibility: Android and iPhone, iPad

Link: android

Kidney News

ASN Kidney News is your source for information in the world of nephrology. The newsmagazine examines research findings and policy changes, pinpointing emerging trends in the industry, medicine, and training that impact practitioners in kidney health and disease. ASN Kidney News will provide a venue to expound upon scientific and clinical advances, with more commentary and speculation than a scientific journal can allow.

Cost: Free

Compatibility: Android

Link: android

Nutrition Journal for iPhone

Track your macronutrient, vitamin, and mineral intake from Vitamin A to Zn with Nutrition Journal, the only diet app that lets you track over 30 nutrients for nearly 100,000 foods. We’ve included RDA and Adequate Intake values for each vitamin and mineral, so you can see and chart how what you’ve logged compared to the U.S. recommendation. In addition, we’ve included a calorie counter feature. Creating your profile calculates your estimated caloric needs. Set a weight change goal and it will update your calorie goal.

Cost: $3.99

Compatibility:  Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Link: iTunes

Nutrition Kidney Disease

The Nutrition Kidney Disease helps the patients to self-manage Kidney Disease through nutrition, using interactive tools. This app gives the patient important information regarding the most common doubts about nutrition for patients with this condition in an understandable way. This app also allows the patient to know how many calories he or she should be eating in order to maintain the weight. Another amazing functionality of this app is a food diary where the patient can record the food eaten. The patient can then show these records to the doctor and together improve the patient’s quality of life.

Cost: Free

Compatibility: Android

Link: android

Renal Disease Kidney Diet Tips

Renal Disease Kidney Diet Tips is a Free App specially designed for Help Tips and awareness for Kidney Patients. Its Kidney Friendly Diet tips are helpful even for Healthy men & women. App covers information about Renal Diseases such as types, causes, risk factors, friendly foods and foods to avoid etc. Dietary ideas and tips of this app have been carefully reviewed by experienced and professional dietitians.

Cost: Free

Compatibility: Android

Link: android

Renal System

Describe the morphology and anatomy of the human kidney and explore its functions. Illustrate how kidneys maintain acid–base concentration. Discuss and understand how kidneys influence blood pressure. Systematize the sequential steps involved in the formation of urine. List the hormones that are secreted by the kidneys and explore their key roles. Identify the risk factors that are associated with kidney disease. List some of these kidney disorders.

Cost: Free

Compatibility: Android

Link: android

Screening for Albuminuria in Patients with Diabetes

A quick pocket tool to help medical professionals assess and treat albuminuria in people with diabetes and other high-risk patients. Designed for rapid, convenient, point-of-care intervention whenever and wherever you need it. Content is adapted from KDOQI evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and recommendations from the National Kidney Foundation.

Cost: Free

Compatibility: Requires iOS 6.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Link: android

Sodium One

Sodium One is a complete and easy-to-use Sodium Counter application.
While keeping sodium intake under control would benefit the health of everyone, the app is especially useful for people with a salt-sensitive health problem like high blood pressure or heart diseases. The Sodium Counter also enables you to track calorie and water intake as well as record exercise and weight history.

Cost: $0.99

Compatibility: Requires iOS 4.3 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Link: iTunes

IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure to check with your doctor and your dietitian to determine what your daily intake of nutritional items should be as the diet plan differs from patient to patient.

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