But now, Reader's Digest says, consumers can actively help safeguard their own health -- by asking that the test be made a vital part of their regular physical, or by performing an easy home version of the test themselves.

Either way, the magazine contends, "This Simple Test Could Save Your Life." Early detection can point the way to treatment before the damage is too severe. And it's perhaps more urgent for African-Americans, like Sean Elliott, who are especially hard-hit by kidney disease.

To perform the inexpensive home test, available by mail from a Florida company, simply collect a small urine sample and dip in a test strip. If the strip changes color, there is excessive protein in the urine -- and it's time to alert your doctor.

With kidney disease, the protein shows up because the kidneys are no longer retaining it properly. And when the kidneys malfunction, the whole body can eventually suffer harm, from the brain and the muscles to the blood's ability to clot. Vessels constrict, blood pressure rises, and bones start dissolving. Victims who are already diabetic or hypertensive may also become more prone to heart attack and stroke. 

-- Hispanics, Native Americans and Pacific Islanders.

-- Diabetics, the overweight and the elderly.

-- High blood pressure sufferers.

-- Individuals with a family history of heart or renal problems.

But as Reader's Digest reporter Connie McNamara learned from the experts, kidney disease can blindside anyone, at any age, no matter how good they feel. "You have patients who'll walk in with severe kidney failure," said Dr. Joseph Bonventre, co-director of Harvard-M.I.T. Division of Health Sciences and Technology, "and they didn't know they had a serious problem."

Up to 15 million people may be unaware of potential problems, estimates the National Kidney Foundation. And the test that could warn them is "grossly underused" by the medical profession, charges Dr. Garabed Eknoyan, of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. As one unfortunate young woman told Reader's Digest, doctors may also misinterpret or ignore suspicious test results.

Twenty-five years ago, Eknoyan points out, nobody realized the importance of checking cholesterol levels -- and that's where we are today in the fight against kidney disease. But while the disease usually cannot be cured, early detection can lead to treatment that dramatically slows its effects. It may even delay or prevent the need for dialysis or a transplant.

Each year, 75,000 Americans join the ranks of those forced to undergo these measures, and the number continues to grow. But as Reader's Digest makes clear, there now is a way to safeguard your family's health -- before you need a last-second miracle.

For information on the home test, call Technical Chemicals and Products, Inc., at 800-482-2907 or visit the Florida company's Web site at http://www.health-check.com/. More information about kidney disease is also available at http://www.kidney.org/ and http://www.readersdigest.com/.

SOURCE: Reader's Digest

WEB SITE: http://www.READERSDIGEST.com/