Causes Of Kidney Disease In Cats
Kidney disease can be caused by a variety of factors:
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For some cats, the disease could have occurred after a serious kidney injury, from a severe infection , ingestion of a toxic substance , and from certain medications.
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For others, it could be inherited, as with polycystic kidney disease and amyloidosis, a rare organ disease seen in breeds like the Persian and Abyssinian.
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It could also be attributed to underlying immune-mediated diseases, stroke-like events, clotting disorders, and even cancers like lymphoma.
Even with the best testing, in some cases, the underlying cause remains unknown. Progression of chronic kidney disease will continue with no possible cure.
The Kidney Disease Solution Cookbook
The 133-page guidebook is packed full of easy-to-follow recipes that you should incorporate to build an appropriate kidney-friendly diet. Each recipe is designed to meet the essential daily nutritional requirements of the body. It also shows you how to adopt good eating patterns. Whats more, it also provides special recipes for other medical conditions that you may suffer from, like diabetes and hypertension.
Other Blood Work Values
People have been asking me about other blood work values that are often mentioned in the news. Here are the ones Ive been asked about the most:
- C-reactive protein: also a blood test, this is a more specialized measurement for heart disease, c-reactive protein is a marker of inflammation . It is being used as a predictor of heart disease.
Youre at low risk of developing cardiovascular disease if your hs-CRP level is lower than 1.0mg/L
You are at average risk of developing cardiovascular disease if your levels are between 1.0 and 3.0 mg/L
You are at high risk for cardiovascular disease if your hs-CRP level is higher than 3.0 mg/L
- Homocysteine: if a person has B12 or folate deficiency, or if someone has suffered a heart attack or stroke, often their doctor will order a homocysteine test. Its also a marker for heart disease and can give a bigger picture to the usual blood pressure and basic metabolic panel. Normal levels are 4 14 µmol/L and elevated levels are connected to increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
- HbA1c/Glycosylated hemoglobin: normal < 5.7%, pre diabetes 5.7-6.4%, 6.5% or higher means diabetes. This test measures your blood sugar over several weeks or months. If you have diabetes, your doctor will tell you how often you need a blood test to measure your levels. Ask for this test if you have a family history of diabetes.
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Getting Your Kidneys Tested
Kidney disease usually has no symptoms until its at a serious stage.”You can have quite serious kidney disease and feel absolutely fine,” says Timothy Statham, chief executive of the National Kidney Federation . “You often dont know you have kidney damage until your kidneys have deteriorated to working at just 15% of their normal function.”Although early kidney disease displays no symptoms, its easy for doctors to detect it. A routine blood test can check whether your kidneys are working properly. If the blood test is abnormal, a follow-up urine test can help to show why your kidneys arent working properly.
Experts suspect that up to two-thirds of people with kidney disease are unaware that they have this common condition. A quick, simple test is available from your GP.
How Is The Sample Collected For Testing
A blood sample taken by a needle placed in a vein in your arm. An elastic band is wrapped around your upper arm. It may feel tight. You may feel nothing at all from the needle, or you may feel a quick sting or pinch. The blood sample is collected in a tube, which is sent to the laboratory for analysis.
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Who Created The Kidney Disease Solution Program
The Kidney Disease Solution was created by Duncan Capicchiano and his wife, Fiona Chin, from Melbourne, Australia. They founded a wellness clinic in Melbourne with more than 13 health professionals who are natural.
Fully certified Naturopaths, the two have a common background in herbal and natural therapy.
The program started as an alternative treatment method for Fionas grandmother, diagnosed with stage 4 renal disease. The couple devised an all-natural plan that helped improve her condition in only 12 weeks. After six months of treatment, she improved from stage 4 to stage 1 and she remained healthy for another 10 years.
After their success with Fionas grandmother, they decided to launch and share their method of treatment for those suffering from kidney diseases.
How Is A Cmp Done
Most blood tests take a small amount of blood from a vein. To do that, a health professional will:
- put an elastic band above the area to get the veins to swell with blood
- insert a needle into a vein
- pull the blood sample into a vial or syringe
- take off the elastic band and remove the needle from the vein
In babies, blood draws are sometimes done as a âheel stick collection.â After cleaning the area, the health professional will prick your babyâs heel with a tiny needle to collect a small sample of blood.
Collecting a sample of blood is only temporarily uncomfortable and can feel like a quick pinprick.
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General Tests For Kidney Function And Disease
Renal panela group of tests that may be used to evaluate kidney function and/or screen for, diagnose or monitor kidney disease. While the tests included in the panel can vary by laboratory, they typically include:
- Electrolytes: sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate
- Calculated values may include eGFR, urea /creatinine ratio and anion gap.
Alternatively, each of the above tests may be ordered individually.
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What Do The Results Of My Kidney Function Test Mean
Kidney function test results can tell you whether your kidneys are functioning typically or not. Most function tests look for two measurements:
- GFR of less than 60 could indicate kidney disease.
- Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio of more than 30 milligrams per gram could be a warning sign of kidney disease.
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What To Expect With A Kidney Disease Diagnosis
Since you can have kidney disease without any symptoms, your doctor may first detect the condition through routine blood and urine tests.
The National Kidney Foundation recommends 3 simple tests to screen for kidney disease:
Measuring urea nitrogen in the blood provides additional information.
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About Blood Tests And Kidney Cancer
A blood test is not enough on its own to confirm a diagnosis of kidney cancer. However, certain results could indicate kidney problems and a possible need for further testing.
Standard blood tests are often done during periodic health exams. Certain abnormalities could flag the potential for cancer.
There are a few types of blood tests that might be used in an initial cancer screening. These include:
- Complete blood count. A CBC is a test that measures the levels of several types of cells in your body. People with kidney cancer often have abnormal levels of important cells.
- Basic metabolic panel. This test checks for levels of specific compounds in your blood. For kidney cancer, your doctor will be interested in looking at liver enzymes, calcium levels, blood urea nitrogen, and glomerular filtration rate.
- Serum creatinine.This test can help rule out kidney function issues that may be causing your symptoms. It measures how well your kidneys are filtering your blood. It can be a good indicator of overall kidney health.
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What Does The Test Involve
A blood sample taken by a needle placed in a vein in your arm. An elastic band is wrapped around your upper arm. It may feel tight. You may feel nothing at all from the needle, or you may feel a quick sting or pinch. The blood sample is collected in a tube, which is sent to the laboratory for analysis.
Your Kidneys & How They Work
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The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist. They are located just below the rib cage, one on each side of your spine.
Healthy kidneys filter about a half cup of blood every minute, removing wastes and extra water to make urine. The urine flows from the kidneys to the bladder through two thin tubes of muscle called ureters, one on each side of your bladder. Your bladder stores urine. Your kidneys, ureters, and bladder are part of your urinary tract.
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Keep Your Kidneys Healthy
You can help lower your risk for CKD or keep it from getting worse by eating healthy, being active, and keeping your blood pressure and cholesterol levels in your target range. Make sure to take care of your kidneys if you are at risk for CKD. If you have diabetes, get tested for kidney disease once each year. Having your kidneys checked regularly gives you the best chance for finding and treating CKD early.
New Test For Detecting Onset Of Kidney Disease In Dogs And Cats
The discovery of this biomarker has made it possible for a screening test to be developed to diagnose kidney disease in its earliest stages. IDEXX Reference Laboratories has developed such a diagnostic tool which is to be included on all the routine blood chemistry panel testing for dogs and cats.
This test will help veterinarians recognize the potential for kidney disease in dogs and cats much earlier. Monitoring and treatment protocols at this stage will potentially add several months to years to a pets lifespan.
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When Should I Get A Renal Panel Test
A renal panel test can be used in a range of circumstances, and the doctor may include specific measurements depending on your situation.
As a diagnostic test, a renal panel is most frequently used when you have symptoms that could be explained by a kidney problem. Examples of symptoms that can be tied to kidney impairment or disease include:
- Urinary changes including changes to the frequency, quantity, or appearance of your urine
- Unexplained swelling, especially in your arms, hands, legs, and/or face
- Muscle cramps or pain
A test like the renal panel may also be used for diagnosis when you have general symptoms without a clear cause or are being evaluated in an urgent care or emergency setting.
As a screening test, the renal panel or other tests of kidney health are most often prescribed if you have certain risk factors for kidney disease. Some of these risk factors include high blood pressure, diabetes, and a family history of kidney disease.
For people with an elevated risk of kidney problems, screening with a renal panel may be part of normal health checkups. Screening of this type is not standard in people who do not have risk factors.
A renal panel can be used as a monitoring test if you have had kidney problems in the past or have already had an abnormal renal panel test. If you are receiving treatment for kidney injury or disease, a renal panel may be used to gauge your response to that therapy.
Can I Take The Test At Home
Very few options exist for a complete renal panel test that can be taken with an at-home test kit. Some at-home kidney tests involve taking a fingerstick blood sample at home and sending it to a lab for analysis, but these tests do not include all of the same measurements that are included in a typical renal panel test.
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How To Read Blood Test Results
While every laboratory or test-providing company may structure their result reports differently, they all must include the same components as mandated by federal legislation.
Some of that may be administrative content, such as the name of the person who did the blood test, the date the test was done, and the name of the doctor who ordered the test.
When it comes to understanding the results, you can look for the following :
- Quantitative test result. Results will be typically written out numerically in cases when the test measured the quantity of something. For example, if the test measured the amount of cholesterol in your blood.
- Abnormal markers. Often, a laboratory report will include some kind of marker to let you know if a result is outside the normal interval, and therefore abnormal. For example, you may see the letter H to indicate high, the letter L to indicate low, or the acronym WNL for within normal limits. You may see an asterisk and some additional comments in text if your results come out as highly abnormal. In this case, youll typically get a call from your doctor.
- Reference range. Every laboratory will have its own reference range for each type of test. Typically, this reference range will be written in your laboratory report next to the numerical value of your result so you are able to see where your result falls in the range.
To a blood test, the nurse or technician:
How Does Blood Flow Through My Kidneys
Blood flows into your kidney through the renalartery. This large blood vessel branches into smaller and smaller blood vessels until the blood reaches the nephrons. In the nephron, your blood is filtered by the tiny blood vessels of the glomeruli and then flows out of your kidney through the renal vein.
Your blood circulates through your kidneys many times a day. In a single day, your kidneys filter about 150 quarts of blood. Most of the water and other substances that filter through your glomeruli are returned to your blood by the tubules. Only 1 to 2 quarts become urine.
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What To Do With Gfr 51
What to do with GFR 51? To understand well about its answer, it is necessary to firstly learn about what GFR is and what GFR 51 mean.
What is GFR?
GFR is the abbreviation of Glomerular Filtration Rate which is the volume of fluid filtered by the kidneys within a certain period of time, so GFR is aways measured to know how well the kidney function.
What does GFR 51 mean?
Normally, GFR ranges from 90-120 mL/min/1.73m2 and also there is no evidence of kidney damages. GFR 51 is clearly lower than the normal range, which always indicate kidney problem. Kidneys help us discharge waste products produced in our body through filtering blood. Low GFR mean kidneys can not filter blood successfully and this may cause buildup of wastes in the blood. Under such a condition, a series of measures are needed to improve kidney condition.
What to do with GFR 51?
For people with GFR 51, they generally need to improve their kidney condition through the following several aspects:
1. Well-planed diet
Diet is an essential part of the treatment for kidney disease. There is no such a food list that is suitable for all the patients due to the difference of illness condition, but kidney disease patients usually need to reduce protein intake, result salt intake, result fluid intake if there is swelling as well as reduce potassium intake and phosphorus intake if lab tests show high levels of potassium and phosphorus level in blood.
2. Tight control of blood pressure and blood sugar
Are There Any Risks From Cmps
A comprehensive metabolic panel is a safe procedure with minimal risks. Some kids might feel faint or lightheaded from the test. A few kids and teens have a strong fear of needles. If your child is anxious, talk with the doctor before the test about ways to make the procedure easier.
A small bruise or mild soreness around the blood test site is common and can last for a few days. Get medical care for your child if the discomfort gets worse or lasts longer.
If you have questions about the CMP, speak with your doctor or the health professional doing the blood draw.
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The Benefits That Come From Kidney Disease Solution
- A comprehensive and holistic method of treating kidney disease
- An all-natural approach to treatment that does not rely on medications, supplements or other procedures
- Improved overall health through simple lifestyle changes
- Better diet through understanding the foods to eat, and what not to eat for healthy kidneys
- Lower stress levels and better sleeping through guided meditation and yoga exercises
- More power throughout your day
Kidney Health Grocery Shopping List
It is a great addition to the book along with a menu planner. The key to having a healthy kidney is diet, and you have to substitute unhealthy food items with healthier ones. This helpful guide will help you choose the best food items the next time you go grocery shopping. It outlines the foods you should consume and what to avoid to improve your kidney function.
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What Clinical Trials Are Open
Clinical trials that are currently open and are recruiting can be viewed at www.ClinicalTrials.gov.
This content is provided as a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. The NIDDK translates and disseminates research findings to increase knowledge and understanding about health and disease among patients, health professionals, and the public. Content produced by the NIDDK is carefully reviewed by NIDDK scientists and other experts.