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No kidding about Kidneys

What is kidney and why is it so important? Kidneys are paired organs on either side of the spine at approximately the waist level. They are sophisticated processing machines, which remove the waste products from the body and excreting them along with water as urine. The kidney filters about 200 litres of blood daily and produces about two litres of urine.

 

In addition to the above, our kidney releases three important hormones, Erythropoietin (EPO) which stimulates the bones to make red blood corpuscles, Renin which regulates the blood pressure, and Calcitriol, an active vitamin D that helps maintain calcium in the bones and normal chemical balance in the body.

 

The majority of kidney diseases either improve spontaneously or can be treated by medicines without impairing patients’ lives. However, some people develop irreversible kidney disease called CRF – chronic renal failure, the most common type of kidney disease today. Except in a few cases, CRF invariably progresses to a stage at which practically the entire kidney function is lost. This stage is, as mentioned earlier, called End Stage Renal Disease – ESRD.

 

Reasons for CRF are mainly two diabetes and high blood pressure. Family history has also been identified as a contributory factor for kidney diseases.

 

Acute Renal Failure – When kidney failure is sudden it is called ARF (Acute Renal failure). ARF is caused by sudden loss of blood, which can happen due to sudden drop in BP or due to some such injury.

 

Glomerulonephritis – This is a kidney disease when kidney filters become inflamed and slowly lose their ability to clean the waste products and excess water from the blood. This condition can cause too much protein, calcium and other substance to leak from blood into the urine, causing imbalance.

 

Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) is the most common genetic and life threatening disease characterized by the growth of numerous fluids filled cysts in the kidney.  These cysts grow and multiply over time and slowly replace much of the kidney mass. Ultimately the diseased kidney shuts down causing ESRD.

 

Uraemia – When the kidney damage is severe, virtually every system in the body is affected leading to a complex symptom called uraemia.  These symptoms appear slowly and are difficult to recognize. Watch out for loss of appetite, bone pain breathlessness, itching and tingling sensation in the feet. You may also feel weak and tired because your body needs clean blood to function. Untreated uraemia may lead to seizure or coma and ultimately death. 

 

What are the symptoms to watch out for in a kidney disease
 

?         Swelling of hands and feet and puffiness around the eyes especially in the mornings.

?         Shortness of breathe, frequent urge to urinate especially at night or passing small amount of urine.

?         Bubbly or foamy urine, blood in urine, difficulty or burning sensation when urinating.

?         Persistent fatigue, drowsiness or trouble concentrating.

?         Any change in pattern of urination is also a cause to worry.

 

Other symptoms to look out for are darkening, rash or itching, nausea or vomiting, unpleasant taste in the mouth / ammonia breathe, or feeling cold without any valid reason.

 

Be on the safe side – Routine blood and urine test is the most common form of testing the normal functioning of kidneys. Dr Bharat V Shah, cautions, “A regular urine test, if there is a family history of kidney disease, or if one has been through one some kidney disease like a kidney stone etc, is a must. Check BP and blood sugar constantly if you have high BP or diabetes.”

 

Kidney disease in children – Inherited and congenital kidney diseases can remain silent for months. The first sign of kidney disease in child is high BP, anaemia, weak bones and blood or protein in the urine. Research shows that in the area of genetics, effective therapies are worked upon to prevent or treat hereditary kidney diseases.

 

Treatment
 

Dialysis is a process where waste products and excess fluids that accumulate in the blood as a result of kidney failure are removed. Dialysis is not a cure for kidney failure, but just substitutes for the excretory functions of the kidney.

 

Two major forms of dialysis are haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.  In haemodialysis your blood is sent through a filter that removes waste products. The clean blood is then returned back to the body. Haemodialysis is usually performed three times a week for three to four hours.

 

Peritoneal is where a fluid is put in your abdomen. This fluid captures the waste products from your blood. After a few hours the fluid containing body waste is drained away. Then a fresh bag of fluid is dripped into the abdomen. Patients can perform peritoneal dialysis by themselves. 

 

Transplantation

In recent times, kidney transplantation has earned a bad name. Dr Shah says that kidney transplantation is a panacea to the needy. “Many people get ESRD and it is only those patients and their families who know the agony, for them kidney transplantation is the only answer.” He suggests that a registry be maintained of the donor and the donee, so that such procedures are have legal authorization and are over board. He goes further saying that all the donors may be compensated suitably. To clear any doubt, he says that people who donate one kidney can lead a very normal life. The donated kidney must be a good match for your body, or else your immune system will reject it. You may have to take special drugs to trick your immune system.

Written by James · Filed Under Health 

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