What Health Problems Can People With Kidney Disease Develop
Kidney disease can lead to other health problems. Your health care team will work with you to help you avoid or manage:
High blood pressure. High blood pressure can be both a cause and a result of kidney disease. High blood pressure damages your kidneys, and damaged kidneys dont work as well to help control your blood pressure. With kidney failure, your kidneys cant get rid of extra water. Taking in too much water can cause swelling, raise your blood pressure, and make your heart work harder.
Blood pressure-lowering medicines, limiting sodium and fluids in your diet, staying physically active, managing stress, and quitting smoking can help you control your blood pressure.
Heart disease. Kidney disease and heart disease share two of the same main causes: diabetes and high blood pressure. People with kidney disease are at high risk for heart disease, and people with heart disease are at high risk for kidney disease.
The steps that you take to manage your kidney disease, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose will also help you prevent heart attacks or strokes.
Anemia. When kidneys are damaged, they dont make enough erythropoietin , a hormone that helps make red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen from your lungs to other parts of your body. When you have anemia, some organssuch as your brain and heartmay get less oxygen than they need and may not function as well as they should. Anemia can make you feel weak and lack energy.
Stages Of Chronic Kidney Disease
www.kidneyfund.orgKidney DiseaseChronic Kidney Disease Stages of Chronic Kidney DiseaseMedical Advisory Committee
Please note: eGFR is an estimate of how well your kidneys are working. The way eGFR is calculated will be changing. Currently the test considers your age, sex and race, among other things. A task force led by the National Kidney Foundation and the American Society of Nephrology is working on recommendations that may remove Black race as a factor in the eGFR calculation. The task force has been seeking the input of kidney disease experts to come up with the best way to make the eGFR test as accurate as possible. American Kidney Fund advised the task force to remove race from the eGFR so there is no bias in testing kidney function. This would help to make sure that every person will receive health care that is fair and of the highest quality. When the NKF-ASN task force makes its recommendations, AKF will promptly review them and then update our educational materials.
Chronic kidney disease refers to all five stages of kidney damage, from very mild damage in stage 1 to complete kidney failure in stage 5. The stages of kidney disease are based on how well the kidneys can filter waste and extra fluid out of the blood. In the early stages of kidney disease, your kidneys are still able to filter out waste from your blood. In the later stages, your kidneys must work harder to get rid of waste and may stop working altogether.
What Causes Kidney Failure In Cats
The filtering system in your cats kidneys consists of thousands of microscopic tubes . While a kidney will still work if some nephrons are damaged, if too many nephrons stop working too suddenly for the good nephrons to compensate, the kidneys can fail.
The most immediate symptom of kidney failure is that they stop clearing the blood of dangerous toxins. Though cats kidneys may start to fail with age, they arent the only ones at risk .
Here are some common causes of both acute and chronic kidney failure in cats:
- Acute Kidney Failure
- Ingestion of toxins or harmful substances
- Dehydration
- Bacterial infection
- Illnesses such as cancer
- Specific medications
- Trauma
- Shock
Chronic Kidney Failure
- Autoimmune diseases
- Cysts
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Where Can I Get Support
Renal units are usually in large teaching hospitals. They offer specialised help for you to adjust to kidney failure. The team includes your renal physician, nurses, dialysis staff and social workers. Renal units also have access to psychiatrists, psychologists and chaplains. Most also have their own patient-run organisations and support groups. You can find out about these from your renal unit staff or from Kidney Health NZ. Kidney health NZ has patient support centres around the country for people with kidney failure. These are run by trained volunteers who have experienced kidney failure in their own families/whnau, and who offer their time to talk and share stories.
What Are The Symptoms Of Kidney Failure
In early stages of kidney disease, many people experience few or no symptoms. Its important to note that chronic kidney disease can still cause damage even though you feel fine.
Chronic kidney disease and kidney failure can cause different symptoms for different people. If your kidneys arent working properly, you may notice one or more of the following signs:
- Fatigue
- Poor appetite or metallic taste of food
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Signs Of Kidney Disease
Kidney Failure And Alcohol
If you have kidney failure and drink alcohol, your kidneys will be forced to work harder than they already are.
Alcohol doesnt metabolize out of your system, so youll feel its effects until you receive dialysis to filter it out of your blood.
Beer and wine contain large amounts of phosphorous. It can cause severe heart issues and even death if your kidneys are unable to filter it out. However, most hard liquor doesnt carry the same risk.
If you have kidney failure or late-stage kidney disease, your doctor may recommend you limit how often you drink alcohol. For some people, completely eliminating alcohol from the diet may be best.
Drinking alcohol with kidney failure can hurt the normal function of other organs. Over time, long-term, heavy alcohol use can lead to liver disease.
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Will I Need To Take Medicines Or Follow A Special Diet
Most likely. Your healthcare team will work with you to develop a treatment plan that’s right for you. Your treatment plan may include taking medicines, restricting salt, limiting certain foods, getting exercise, and more. You will also need treatment for any other health problems you may have, including high blood pressure or diabetes.
Early Warning Signs Of Kidney Disease
As we all know every human body has two kidneys, which are primarily responsible for filtering the blood free of the nitrogenous waste products like urea, creatinine, acids, etc. and produce urine.
Millions of people are living with various types of kidney diseases and most of them dont even have the faintest idea about it. This is why kidney disease is often known as a Silent Killer as most people do not feel any difference until the disease is advanced. While people get their blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels checked on a regular basis, they fail to get a simple creatinine test done in their blood, to detect any unidentified kidney problems. According to the Global Burden Disease study in 2015, chronic kidney disease is ranked as the eighth leading cause of mortality in India.
There are a number of warning signs of a kidney disorder, however, most of the time these are ignored or confused with alternative pathologies . Therefore, one has to be very watchful and should get the confirmatory tests done at the earliest appearance of any sign of a kidney disorder. One should visit a Nephrologist and clarify his/her doubts. But if you have hypertension, diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome as one calls it in todays age, or Coronary Artery Disease, and/or a family history of the same or a family history of kidney failure or even if youre older than 60 years of age, it is advisable to get kidney tests done on a regular basis.
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How Sepsis Affects The Kidneys
There are two ways the kidneys could be affected by sepsis. The first is if the infection that caused the sepsis begins in the kidney, through a kidney infection or a bladder infection that has spread to the kidney. The second is if the cascade of events from sepsis causes the kidney damage.
In sepsis and septic shock, your blood pressure drops dangerously low, affecting how the blood flows through your body. Because the blood cant flow as quickly as it should, it cant deliver the nutrients needed by the bodys tissues and organs. At the same time, the blood begins to clot within the blood vessels , slowing down blood flow even more.
The low blood pressure and DIC both contribute to the kidneys failure.
How Is Kidney Failure Diagnosed
Doctors use a variety of tests to measure kidney function and diagnose kidney failure. If your doctors suspect you may be at risk for kidney failure, they may recommend:
- Blood tests, which can show how well the kidneys are removing waste from the blood.
- Advanced imaging, which can show kidney abnormalities or obstructions .
- Urine tests, which measure the amount of urine or specific substances in the urine, such as protein or blood.
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How Will Kidney Failure Affect How I Feel About My Life
Coping with kidney failure can be stressful. Some of the steps that you are taking to manage your kidney disease are also healthy ways to cope with stress. For example, physical activity and sleep help reduce stress. Learn more about healthy ways to cope with stress.
Depression is common among people with a chronic, or long-term, illness. Depression can make it harder to manage your kidney disease. Ask for help if you feel down. Your health care team can help you. Talking with a support group, clergy member, friend, or family member wholl listen to your feelings may help.
Treatment for depression is available.
How Do I Adjust To Dialysis
Starting dialysis often means creating a new normal for yourself and your family. Thereâs a lot to think about, from choosing a treatment option, to finding new ways to enjoy your favorite activities, to managing a new diet. The FIRST30 program is all about helping you through this period of adjustment. Here, youâll find videos featuring people like you, who once were new to dialysis, as well as a checklist of important questions to ask your health care team.
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Symptoms Of Kidney Disease
In the early stages of kidney disease, people can have no symptoms. In fact, some people have no symptoms until over 90 per cent of their kidney function has gone. This is unfortunate because early detection of kidney disease and treatment is the key to preventing kidney failure.
Symptoms of kidney disease can include:
- tiredness
- bad breath an
- a metallic taste in the mouth.
These symptoms can be caused by other conditions, but if you are in a high-risk group for kidney disease, speak with your doctor.
Kidney Failure Is A Terminal Disease
If you have a dog with kidney failure, its important to understand that this is a terminal diagnosis.
So, its time to prepare yourself to say goodbye and make your dog as comfortable as possible.
Sometimes, euthanizing is referred to as putting your dog to sleep.
Any way you think about it, its not an easy decision.
Therefore, its important to trust your vets expert guidance when it comes to taking the course of action that has your animals best interest at heart.
Many dog owners believe that kidney disease is the same thing as kidney failure.
That couldnt be further from the truth.
Kidney disease refers to the deterioration of the kidneys which can cause issues for your dogs health.
However, a dog with kidney disease can still produce urine but waste products may still build up in the bloodstream, causing your dog to get sick over time.
One of the main problems with treating kidney disease is that pets often dont display symptoms until the disease has progressed to the advanced stages.
So, your dog can have kidney disease for years prior to receiving a diagnosis.
To avoid missing possible kidney disease, keep up with your pets blood work and annual visits.
This can give you a chance to receive treatment and help your dog heal at the first sign of trouble.
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How Can I Keep From Getting Kidney Failure
You can do some things to keep from getting kidney failure or interstitial nephritis:
DO NOT use any prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, herbal or nutrition supplements without talking to your doctor.
Take your medicines for diabetes and high blood pressure regularly, and follow your doctor’s instructions.
Let your doctor know about any reactions or allergies to medicines.
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What Is Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic kidney disease, sometimes called CKD, is an umbrella term for several conditions that affect the kidneys, but it generally means permanent and usually progressive damage to the kidneys caused by a variety of conditions.
Learn Your ABCs of Kidney Disease
Johns Hopkins nephrologists Drs. Sumeska Thavarajah and Daphne Knicely offer a free educational class most months, from 5 6 p.m. at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. For more information, call .
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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.
What Are Dialysis And Hemodialysis
Dialysis cleanses the body of waste products in the body by use of filter systems. There are two types of dialysis, 1) hemodialysis and 2) peritoneal dialysis.
Hemodialysis uses a machine filter called a dialyzer or artificial kidney to remove excess water and salt, to balance the other electrolytes in the body, and to remove waste products of metabolism. Blood is removed from the body and flows through tubing into the machine, where it passes next to a filter membrane. A specialized chemical solution flows on the other side of the membrane. The dialysate is formulated to draw impurities from the blood through the filter membrane. Blood and dialysate never touch in the artificial kidney machine.
For this type of dialysis, access to the blood vessels needs to be surgically created so that large amounts of blood can flow into the machine and back to the body. Surgeons can build a fistula, a connection between a large artery and vein in the body, usually in the arm, that allows a large amount of blood to flow into the vein. This makes the vein swell or dilate, and its walls become thicker so that it can tolerate repeated needle sticks to attach tubing from the body to the machine. Since it takes many weeks or months for a fistula to mature enough to be used, significant planning is required if hemodialysis is to be considered as an option.
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What Are The Clinical Signs Of Acute Renal Failure
The clinical signs of ARF may include sudden anorexia , listlessness, vomiting , diarrhea that also may contain blood, a strange breath odor, and/or seizures. Some cats will urinate more frequently while others may not be producing any urine at all. There may be a recent history of ingestion of a toxin or of recent trauma, surgery, or illness. Many cats are in shock by the time they reach the veterinary hospital. The veterinarian will frequently find enlarged and painful kidneys during the physical examination.