Scots woman left shocked after 'heart issue' diagnosed as chronic disease

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A Scots woman has told of her shock after she mistook a potentially deadly kidney disease for a problem with her heart. Angela Riley was forced to cut her career short after being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in 2020.The former addiction support worker had previously been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes - which can cause issues with the kidneys - but began to feel unwell as Scotland headed into lockdown and thought it may be a heart issue.

Angela visited her GP before being referred for an echocardiogram - when she was later diagnosed with CKD.And although 40 per cent of people with diabetes go on to develop the condition, Angela admits the news came as a nasty surprise.She told Glasgow Live: “It came as a total shock.

I knew that diabetes could affect your kidneys but I didn’t really know how and I had never even heard of CKD."I was sent to my local hospital for lots of tests and was told I had a problem with my kidneys, but nobody mentioned CKD to me until the second or third appointment when I told them I needed to tell my employers what was wrong with me.“In April 2022, my eGFR [kidney function] rate dropped rapidly and my blood pressure was sky high.

It was then that my consultant told me it was no longer a case of if I will need dialysis but when.“I don’t really think I took it all onboard at first.