Sunday, March 24, 2024
HomeEditor PicksHow Do You Know About Kidney Failure

How Do You Know About Kidney Failure

Signs Of Kidney Disease

HOW TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE KIDNEY PROBLEMS [Free dialysis video training]
  • You’re more tired, have less energy or are having trouble concentrating. A severe decrease in kidney function can lead to a buildup of toxins and impurities in the blood. This can cause people to feel tired, weak and can make it hard to concentrate. Another complication of kidney disease is anemia, which can cause weakness and fatigue.
  • You’re having trouble sleeping. When the kidneys aren’t filtering properly, toxins stay in the blood rather than leaving the body through the urine. This can make it difficult to sleep. There is also a link between obesity and chronic kidney disease, and sleep apnea is more common in those with chronic kidney disease, compared with the general population.
  • You have dry and itchy skin. Healthy kidneys do many important jobs. They remove wastes and extra fluid from your body, help make red blood cells, help keep bones strong and work to maintain the right amount of minerals in your blood.Dry and itchy skin can be a sign of the mineral and bone disease that often accompanies advanced kidney disease, when the kidneys are no longer able to keep the right balance of minerals and nutrients in your blood.
  • You feel the need to urinate more often. If you feel the need to urinate more often, especially at night, this can be a sign of kidney disease. When the kidneys filters are damaged, it can cause an increase in the urge to urinate. Sometimes this can also be a sign of a urinary infection or enlarged prostate in men.
  • So Now Is The Time To Pamper Your Kidneys

    If youre experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned above, you should see your health practitioner and have a check-up, including tests to assess your kidney function.

    And you should also make sure youre helping your kidneys stay in top shape by doing a thorough cleanse.

    Even if you dont have any of these signs, a systemic cleanse is like a spa day for your kidneys. It helps them get in top shape and avoid damage and disease. This is why OsteoCleanse, The 7 Day Bone Building Accelerator was developed in conjunction with the Osteoporosis Reversal Program.

    OsteoCleanse is not just about alkalizing your body, feeling younger and more energized, and removing osteoporosis drugs from your system. It does all of these things in just seven days, but at the heart of OsteoCleanses effectiveness are its kidney-boosting, liver-cleansing effects so youll strengthen and build your bones faster.

    Its always a good idea to heed early warning signs and treat your kidneys to a cleanse before damage occurs, and its particularly important to offset the effects of aging on your renal system.

    First Signs Of Kidney Failure

    Kidney failure might be acute or chronic.

    • Acute kidney failure develops in a matter of days, usually because thedog ingested a toxic substance such as antifreeze or human medication.
    • Chronic kidney failure is the result of underlying medical conditions and affects older dogs.

    Surprisingly, dental disease is one of the causes for renal failure in dogs because mouth bacteria enter the bloodstream and attack the organs.

    At first, you wont notice any noticeable signs.

    However, since the kidneys are struggling to filter the toxins, urine production increases in an attempt to remove as much waste as possible.;As a result, Lucky starts to drink more often.

    So, the initial symptoms of kidney failure in dogs are excessive drinking and increased urination.

    Youll probably notice that your fur baby is making frequent trips to the water bowl or that you have to fill the bowl far more often than before.

    Your pooch might also start to have accidents in the night or pee in the house during the day.

    Unfortunately, pet owners overlook inappropriate urination. They think its a behavior problem when its a medical one.

    Thats why its important to take the dog to the vet if you observe any change in his habits.

    Moreover, the symptoms of renal failure do not appear until a large portion of the kidneys has been damaged.

    So, when you notice these first signs, its likely that your dog has been ill for quite some time.

    Don’t Miss: Liver Detox Drink Cranberry Juice

    Living With Stage 3 Kidney Disease

    Aside from taking your prescribed medications and eating a healthy diet, adopting other lifestyle changes can help you manage CKD stage 3. Talk to your doctor about the following:

    • Exercise. Aim for a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate activity per day on most days of the week. A doctor can help you begin an exercise program safely.
    • Blood pressure management. High blood pressure can be a precursor for CKD, and it can make your condition worse. Aim for a blood pressure of 140/90 and below.
    • Stress management. Techniques can include exercise, getting better sleep, and meditation.
    • Smoking cessation. Talk to a doctor about the right methods of quitting smoking for you.

    Treatment Of Chronic Kidney Disease

    Medical News Today: What you need to know about kidney ...
    • Treatment of conditions that worsen kidney function

    • Dietary measures and drugs

    The anemia caused by chronic kidney disease is treated with

    • Drugs such as erythropoietin or darbepoietin

    • Blood transfusions

    Doctors also look for and treat other causes of anemia, particularly dietary deficiencies of iron, folate , and vitamin B12 .

    Most people who take erythropoietin or darbepoietin regularly need to be given iron intravenously to prevent iron deficiency, which impairs the bodys response to these drugs. Erythropoietin and darbepoietin should be used only when necessary because they can increase the risk of stroke. The tendency to bleed can be temporarily suppressed by transfusions of blood products or by such drugs as desmopressin or estrogens. Such treatment may be needed after an injury or before a surgical procedure or a tooth extraction.

    Blood transfusions are given only if the anemia is severe, is causing symptoms, and does not respond to erythropoietin or darbepoietin.

    High blood pressure is treated with antihypertensive drugs to prevent further impairment of heart and kidney function.

    Diuretics may also relieve symptoms of heart failure, even when kidney function is poor, but dialysis may be needed to remove the excess body water in severe chronic kidney disease.

    You May Like: What Is The Actual Size Of Kidney

    Diabetes And Kidney Failure

    Diabetes is the most common cause of kidney failure. Uncontrolled high blood sugar can damage kidneys. The damage can become worse over time.

    Diabetic nephropathy, or kidney damage caused by type 1 or type 2 diabetes, cant be reversed. Managing blood sugar and blood pressure can help reduce damage. Taking medicines prescribed by your doctor is important, too.

    If you have diabetes, your doctor will likely perform regular screenings to monitor for kidney failure.

    Shortness Of Breath After Very Little Effort

    Why this happens:

    Being short of breath can be related to the kidneys in two ways. First, extra fluid in the body can build up in the lungs. And second, anemia can leave your body oxygen-starved and short of breath.

    What patients said:

    At the times when I get the shortness of breath, it’s alarming to me. It just fears me. I think maybe I might fall or something so I usually go sit down for awhile.

    I couldn’t sleep at night. I couldn’t catch my breath, like I was drowning or something. And, the bloating, can’t breathe, can’t walk anywhere. It was bad.

    You May Like: How Much Money Is A Kidney Worth

    Why Wait Until Your Kidneys Are Diseased

    While the study was conducted on people with kidney disease, we could safely extrapolate the recommendations to those who want to avoid kidney disease and achieve optimal kidney function now, especially as we age.

    In fact, additional research points to the actuality of physiological changes in the kidneys as we age. The research notes that a progressive reduction of the glomerular filtration rate and renal blood flow are observed in conjunction with aging. The reason for these phenomena is a decrease in the plasma flow in the glomerulus, a bundle of capillaries that partially form the renal corpuscle.2

    In addition, the aging kidneys experience other structural changes, such as a loss of renal mass, and decreased responsiveness to stimuli that constrict or dilate blood vessels. The study concludes with a notable summation:

    age-related changes in cardiovascular hemodynamics, such as reduced cardiac output and systemic hypertension, are likely to play a role in reducing renal perfusion and filtration. Finally, it is hypothesized that increases in cellular oxidative stress that accompany aging result in endothelial cell dysfunction and changes in vasoactive mediators resulting in increased atherosclerosis, hypertension and glomerulosclerosis.2

    What Can Cause A Cats Kidneys To Shut Down

    Kidney Disease: What You Should Know | Anjay Rastogi, MD | UCLAMDChat

    Antifreeze, toxic plants like lilies, pesticides, cleaning fluids, and certain human medications are highly poisonous to your cats kidneys. Even a single tablet of ibuprofen can lead to her kidneys shutting down. Check around your house and garage for these substances and make sure your cat cant get into them.

    Recommended Reading: Lithobalance

    Causes Of Kidney Failure

    Some of the causes of kidney failure include:

    • diabetes even if it is well managed, diabetes can cause kidney damage
    • glomerulonephritis swelling or inflammation of the tiny filtering units in the kidney. Also known as nephritis
    • polycystic kidney disease an inherited condition that causes thousands of cysts to form in the kidneys
    • urinary reflux a bladder-valve problem that allows urine to flow back into the kidneys, causing scarring
    • medications some drugs such as lithium and cyclosporin can cause kidney failure. Continued misuse of compound analgesic preparations was once a common cause of permanent kidney damage. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , taken in normal therapeutic doses, may occasionally cause acute kidney failure
    • medullary cystic kidney disease an inherited kidney disease that leads to the kidneys gradually losing their ability to work properly due to cysts in the centre of the kidneys.;;

    Albuminuria: The Urine Albumin: Creatinine Ratio

    A simple urine test called the urine Albumin:Creatinine ratio is also performed to look for signs that protein is leaking into the urine . This is an important sign of kidney damage. The ACR is used to calculate the A stage of CKD .

    There are three recognised stages of albuminuria:

    • A1 normal to mildly increased urine protein levels
    • A2 moderately increased urine protein levels
    • A3 severely increased urine protein levels

    Combining your ACR ratio with your eGFR can help doctors try to predict whether your kidney disease is likely to progress and whether you are more likely to develop complications such as heart and circulatory problems. Other factors are also taken into account, e.g. age. In general, the higher the A stage, the more likely it is that you will benefit from blood pressure-lowering treatment.

    Recommended Reading: Kidney Pain Medical Term

    How Long Can You Live On Dialysis

    If your kidneys have failed, you will need to have dialysis treatments for your whole life unless you are able to get a kidney transplant.; Life expectancy on dialysis can vary depending on your other medical conditions and how well you follow your treatment plan. Average life expectancy on dialysis is 5-10 years, however, many patients have lived well on dialysis for 20 or even 30 years. Talk to your healthcare team about how to take care of yourself and stay healthy on dialysis.

    Dialysis For Kidney Failure

    All You Need to Know about Kidney Failure And Dialysis PDF ...

    Dialysis artificially removes waste from your blood. There are two forms of dialysis haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Peritoneal dialysis is further broken down into two main types, continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis and automated peritoneal dialysis .The choice of dialysis method depends of factors such as your age, health and lifestyle. Over 2,000 Australian adults start renal replacement therapy each year.

    Read Also: Is Mulberry Good For Kidneys

    What Your Kidneys Do

    Healthy kidneys:

    • Keep a balance of water and minerals in your blood
    • Remove waste from your blood after digestion, muscle activity, and exposure to chemicals or medications
    • Make renin, which your body uses to help manage your blood pressure
    • Make a chemical called erythropoietin, which prompts your body to make red blood cells
    • Make an active form of vitamin D, needed for bone health and other things

    What Is Chronic Kidney Disease

    In this section:

    Chronic kidney disease means your kidneys are damaged and cant filter blood the way they should. The disease is called chronic because the damage to your kidneys happens slowly over a long period of time. This damage can cause wastes to build up in your body. CKD can also cause other health problems.

    The kidneys main job is to filter extra water and wastes out of your blood to make urine. To keep your body working properly, the kidneys balance the salts and mineralssuch as calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and potassiumthat circulate in the blood. Your kidneys also make hormones that help control blood pressure, make red blood cells, and keep your bones strong.

    Kidney disease often can get worse over time and may lead to kidney failure. If your kidneys fail, you will need dialysis or a kidney transplant to maintain your health.

    The sooner you know you have kidney disease, the sooner you can make changes to protect your kidneys.

    You May Like: Grapes And Kidney Stones

    Swollen Or Puffy Face

    Why this happens:

    Failing kidneys don’t remove extra fluid, which builds up in your body causing swelling in the face.

    What patients said:

    My sister, her hair started to fall out, she was losing weight, but her face was really puffy, you know, and everything like that, before she found out what was going on with her.

    My checks were always puffy and tight. Sometimes they would even hurt.

    Kidney Failure Definition And Facts

    How To Know If You Have Kidney Problems
    • Kidneys are the organs that filter waste products from the blood. They are also involved in regulating blood pressure, electrolyte balance, and red blood cell production in the body.
    • Symptoms of kidney failure are due to the build-up of waste products and excess fluid in the body that may cause weakness, shortness of breath, lethargy, swelling, and confusion. Inability to remove potassium from the bloodstream may lead to abnormal heart rhythms and sudden death. Initially kidney failure may cause no symptoms.
    • There are numerous causes of kidney failure, and treatment of the underlying disease may be the first step in correcting the kidney abnormality.
    • Some causes of kidney failure are treatable and the kidney function may return to normal. Unfortunately, kidney failure may be progressive in other situations and may be irreversible.
    • The diagnosis of kidney failure usually is made by blood tests measuring BUN, creatinine, and glomerular filtration rate .
    • Treatment of the underlying cause of kidney failure may return kidney function to normal. Lifelong efforts to control blood pressure and diabetes may be the best way to prevent chronic kidney disease and its progression to kidney failure. As we age, kidney function gradually decreases over time.
    • If the kidneys fail completely, the only treatment options available may be dialysis or transplant.

    Recommended Reading: Is Celery Juice Good For Kidneys

    When To See A Doctor With Stage 3 Ckd

    Its important to see a doctor right away if you experience any of the above symptoms. While certain symptoms arent exclusive to CKD, having any combination of these symptoms is concerning.

    You should follow up with your doctor if youve previously been diagnosed with stage 1 or stage 2 CKD.

    Still, its possible to not have any previous history of CKD before getting diagnosed with stage 3. This could be due to the fact that stages 1 and 2 dont typically cause any noticeable symptoms.

    To diagnose CKD stage 3, a doctor will conduct these tests:

    • blood pressure readings

    What Does Stage 1 Kidney Disease In Cats Mean

    Stage 1 kidney disease in cats is an important health issue to keep an eye on, no matter what your cats age. With the proper treatment and nutrition, though, you can keep your kitty happy and manage her condition. Simply stated, kidney disease is the loss of function of the kidneys.

    Antifreeze, toxic plants like lilies, pesticides, cleaning fluids, and certain human medications are highly poisonous to your cats kidneys. Even a single tablet of ibuprofen can lead to her kidneys shutting down. Check around your house and garage for these substances and make sure your cat cant get into them.

    Read Also: Wine And Kidney Stones

    What Are The Treatment Options For Kidney Failure

    If you have kidney failure , you will need dialysis or a kidney transplant to live. There is no cure for ESRD, but many people live long lives while on dialysis or after having a kidney transplant.

    There are just a few options for treating kidney failure, including kidney transplant and several types of dialysis. Your doctor can help you figure out which treatment is best for you. Learn more about the treatment options for kidney failure.

    Blood And Urine Tests

    Mix · What is Kidney Failure Symptoms...?

    If your doctor thinks you might have chronic kidney failure, they will order blood and urine tests.

    Blood tests for kidney function measure the levels of electrolytes and waste in your blood. They measure waste products such as creatinine and blood urea. Creatinine is a byproduct of muscle metabolism. Blood urea is leftover when your body breaks down proteins. When your kidneys are working properly, they excrete both substances.

    Urine tests will be performed to check for abnormalities. For example, protein is normally only present in trace amounts in your urine. An elevated protein level might indicate kidney problems months or even years before other symptoms appear. Your urine sediment and cells found in your urine will also be examined in a laboratory.

    Also Check: Is Grape Juice Good For Kidney Stones

    RELATED ARTICLES

    Most Popular