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My Kidney Care

A Continuous Personalized GFR Tracking And a Data-driven Food Intake Recommendation System.

Real-World Problem

More than 10% of the population worldwide is affected by chronic kidney disease (CKD), and millions die each year because they do not have access to affordable treatment. Unfortunately, many people, who want to improve their GFR (Glomerular Filtration Rate) in their early stages of CKD, do not have a specific plan of what they want to eat and how to maintain their diet. Because the information that they seek (diet plans, advice on dialysis, affordable centers,

personal nephrologists, etc.) is scattered over hundreds of websites, people would need an easier and more efficient way to plan their diet, helping improve their GFR.

Engineering Goal

The goal of this project would be to build a continuous personalized GFR tracking and a data-driven food intake recommendation system.

Process:

  1. User inputs Age, Weight, Race, and Gender.
  2. Using this, the program will derive the serum creatinine value.
  3. Then, it will use the GFR equation to display an estimated GFR value.
  4. The program will display what foods the user should eat and the user should avoid, according to their GFR. (low-potassium and low-phosphorus foods)
  5. Exercise Levels – The app will connect to the personal health app on the phone, get the data, and recommend changes to the user’s exercise plan.

References

  1. Phillips, S. (2017, August 14). Can You Improve GFR With Diet? Retrieved November 28, 2017, from https://www.livestrong.com/article/508662-how-to-improve-gfr-with-diet/
  1. NIDDK (n.d.) Estimating Glomerular Filtration Rate. Retrieved November 28, 2017, from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/communication-programs/nkdep/laboratory-evaluation/glomerular-filtration-rate/estimating
  1. National Kidney Foundation (n.d) GFR (Glomerular Filtration Rate) – A Key to Understanding How Well Your Kidneys Are Working. Retrieved November 28, 2017, from https://www.kidney.org/sites/default/files/docs/11-10-1813_abe_patbro_gfr_b.pdf
  1. DaVita Kidney Care (n.d) Fiber in the Kidney Diet. Retrieved November 28, 2017, from https://www.davita.com/kidney-disease/diet-and-nutrition/diet-basics/fiber-in-the-kidney-diet/e/5320
  1. DaVita Kidney Care (n.d) Potassium and Chronic Kidney Disease. Retrieved November 28, 2017, from https://www.davita.com/kidney-disease/diet-and-nutrition/diet-basics/potassium-and-chronic-kidney-disease/e/5308
  1. Main Line Health (n.d) Nutrition and Kidney Disease. Retrieved November 28, 2017, from https://www.mainlinehealth.org/specialties/nephrology/nutrition-and-kidney-disease
  1. DaVita Kidney Care (n.d) 5 Kidney-Friendly Snacks to Keep on Hand. Retrieved November 28, 2017, from https://www.davita.com/kidney-disease/diet-and-nutrition/diet-basics/5-kidney-friendly-snacks-to-keep-on-hand/e/12906

D.J. Savory and Ann Clin (n.d) Reference ranges for serum creatinine in infants, children, and adolescents. Retrieved November 28, 2017, from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/000456329002700201