Physical Therapies For Itching In Kidney Disease
There are therapies that can be done to the skin itself. These physical therapies include phototherapy and acupuncture.
Itching in Kidney Disease
Ultraviolet B phototherapy works by stopping the spread of the substances that cause the itch. This therapy also stops inflammation from the immune response.
UVB phototherapy is effective for ESRD pruritus. Some therapies perform better than others.
Narrow band-UVB phototherapy and UVA alone do not appear to be as effective. Itching came back soon after 6 weeks of NB-UVB. To fully control itching, these therapies need to be done continuously over time. Initially, this type of phototherapy needs to be done three times per week. After that each week an additional one to two sessions needs to be done for maintenance.
Broadband phototherapy worked the best. Nine out of 10 patients had a marked improvement in itching after 6 BB-UVB treatments. These effects lasted for at least six months.
Acupuncture for Itching in Kidney Disease
Acupuncture is a common complementary therapy for many conditions involving pain. The theory for itch relief is that acupuncture will block itch impulses. Acupuncture generates impulses, similar to nerve messages. In response, an opioid-like substance will be released.
This substance will block the slower C fiber impulses and stop the itch. When compared with the placebo acupuncture helped stop the itch.
How Will Itching In Kidney Disease Affect Your Skin
Pruritus affects everyone differently. It can range from mild to severe. Itching can be in one little place or it can ravage your entire body. Itching commonly occurs on the back, abdomen, head, and forearms.
It can occur daily and often intensifies at night. Many have reported sleeplessness because of this condition. UP usually lasts between 6 and 12 months or longer.
Silent Symptoms Of Diabetes
More than 30 million Americans have diabetes, including 7.2 million that are undiagnosed. Additionally, 1.5 million Americans are newly diagnosed each year. Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90 to 95 percent of all diabetes cases. Diabetes has plenty of early signs, but some symptoms are subtle. Here are 10 subtle signs of diabetes:
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Who Developed Who Came Up With 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 that has more than 13 health professionals who are natural.
Fully certified Naturopaths, the two have a common background in herbal and natural medicine.
The program was initially designed as an alternative method of treatment for Fionas grandmother who was diagnosed with stage-4 renal disease. The couple devised an all-natural treatment plan that resulted in the improvement of her condition in only 12 weeks. After six months, her condition went from stage 4 to stage 1 and she was able to live a healthy life for the remainder of 10 years.
After the success they have had with Fionas grandmother Fionas grandmother, they decided to create and share their approach to treatment for those suffering from kidney disease.
Which Is The Kidney Disease Solution
Does Chronic Kidney Disease Cause Itching
The Kidney Disease Solution is an all-in-one program designed to improve the health of kidneys and prevent kidney diseases. It teaches you everything you must know about the kidney and the way to treat kidney disease.
The program is a collection of innovative holistic treatment methods based on the latest findings in naturopathic science. Because its a completely natural method to treat the root of the issue. By making a few changes to their lifestyle, users can eliminate kidney disease completely.
The program includes a collection of cookbooks and ebooks. The ebooks focus on changes in lifestyle. They offer specific guidelines for how to assess your condition, interpret your test results and establishing a custom treatment and diet program for you.
The cookbooks also offer advice regarding the diet that will be most beneficial for your specific condition. You will find healthy herbal remedies including tea recipes, as well as more.
Other useful materials include meditation audiobooks, nutritional strategies, yoga video, and treatment trackers. The materials are written in simple language, to ensure that everyone gets the most of it.
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Kidney Health Food Shopping List
This is an additional great supplement to your recipe book as well as a meal plan. The main ingredient to have having a healthy kidney is diet, which is why you must to substitute unhealthy food items with nutritious ones. This useful guide helps you select the most nutritious food items the next time you are shopping for groceries. It outlines what foods to eat and what you shouldnt eat to boost kidney function.
What Causes Kidney Failure
The most common causes of kidney failure are diabetes and high blood pressure. Sometimes, though, kidney failure happens quickly due to an unforeseen cause.
When the kidneys lose function suddenly , its called acute kidney failure . This type of kidney failure is often temporary. Common causes of acute kidney failure can include:
- Autoimmune kidney diseases
- A urinary tract obstruction
- Uncontrolled systemic disease like heart or liver disease
Kidney failure usually doesnt happen overnight. Chronic kidney disease refers to a group of health conditions that affect how well your kidneys function over time. If left untreated, chronic kidney disease can lead to kidney failure.
The biggest causes of kidney failure from chronic kidney disease are:
- Diabetes: Unmanaged diabetes can lead to uncontrolled blood sugar levels. Consistently high blood sugar can damage the bodys organs, including the kidneys.
- High blood pressure: High blood pressure means blood travels through your bodys blood vessels with increased force. Over time, untreated high blood pressure levels can damage the kidneys tissue.
Other causes of chronic kidney disease include:
- Polycystic kidney disease, a hereditary condition where cysts grow inside your kidneys.
- Glomerular diseases, such as glomerulonephritis, which affect how well the kidneys can filter waste.
- Lupus and other autoimmune diseases that can affect multiple body systems.
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Dehydration And Dry Skin
People with ESRD often have dry skin, but the connection between dry skin and itching is not so clear. What has been determined is that dry skin makes the itching worse and more severe.
Getting less fluid can cause itchy skin to get worse. Hydration is important for kidney health especially if you are on dialysis. The fluid removed during dialysis needs to be replenished. So getting enough hydration between treatments could help lessen the intensity of the itch.
Dry skin becomes dangerous when it turns into nephrogenic systemic fibrosis . This condition results in the hardening of the skin causing it to become thick and tight. It also can scar the lungs and kidneys. Too much gadolinium causes this condition. Kidney patients are exposed to this during imaging and dialysis expose kidney patients to this compound. NSF is also responsible for kidney itch.
Some people with kidney disease also have nerve damage that prevents them from sweating enough. This could lead to dry skin and is another reason to keep hydrated.
Does It Affect Every Dialysis Patient
Not necessarily. However, there are patients in whom certain risk factors have been identified. This is not a complete list since this is an active area of research:
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Modify Your Diet Before Calling Your Doctor
Bergamo says if youre having some of these subtle symptoms try a low-carb diet of protein and green leafy vegetables. Avoid sugary drinks and drink at least 2 liters of water for a few days to see if these symptoms get better.
Subtle symptoms could be just that youre eating too many carbs and your body cant handle it, Bergamo says. It doesnt necessarily mean you have diabetes, but its a wake-up call that maybe youre headed that way.
If you have any symptoms that are frightening such as sudden numbness, weakness or chest pains, call your doctor immediately.
Are you concerned about diabetes? Talk to your doctor about having your blood glucose levels tested. Need a doctor? Find one near you.
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Kidney Failure Life Expectancy
Its not possible to know exactly how long a person with kidney failure will live. Every person with kidney failure is different.
In general, the National Kidney Foundation says that a person on dialysis can expect to live for an average of 5 to 10 years as long as they follow their treatment. Some people live for more than 20 or 30 years.
Factors that can play a role in life expectancy include your:
- age
- stage of kidney disease
- other coexisting conditions
Once you reach end stage kidney failure, you will need dialysis or a kidney transplant to live. Missing even one dialysis treatment can decrease your life expectancy.
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Clinical Characteristics And Natural History
CKD-aP can present variably. It tends to affect large, discontinuous, but symmetric, areas of skin and to be most symptomatic at night . It does not exhibit a dermatomal pattern and there is no associated primary skin lesion, although over time, there are often signs of chronic scratching . The spatial distribution of CKD-aP varies, and 2550% complain of generalized itch . Pruritus is most frequently reported on the legs, back, and scalp . There is no known gender difference. Despite being the most common cause of pruritus in patient with ESKD, it is a clinical truism that not all patients with ESKD experiencing pruritus have CKD-aP. A variety of alternative non-uraemic systemic or dermatologic causes of pruritus should be considered, especially in patients with asymmetric pruritus, other atypical features or in patients with pruritus refractory to therapy .
In CKD-aP, statistically significant associations were found amongst itching severity and health-related quality-of-life domains such as mood, social relations, and sleep . Those with CKD-aP may also be more likely to suffer restless leg syndrome . In addition, patients with severe CKD-aP have a significantly worse prognosis than patients with less severe CKD-aP, with severe CKD-aP being independently associated with mortality even after adjusting for other clinical factors including diabetes mellitus, age, 2-microglobulin, and albumin .
Kidney Stones Or Nephrolithiasis
Kidney stones are normally made up of hard collections of minerals which form in the renal system. These stones may stay in the kidneys for quite a while. They often become painful when they move out of the kidney into the ureter. The pain is often described as a strong colicky pain, usually felt in the ureter between the kidney and the bladder. Kidney stones can be extremely painful.
Colicky, strong to very strong pain coming in waves, is the most obvious symptoms of kidney stones. The location of the pain and where it spreads to gives clues as to where the stone is currently located in the urinary system. The pain of a kidney stone passing through the urinary system is felt suddenly and severely in the flank and spreads down the groin on the same side. Not all stones cause radiating pain. Some stones may not cause any pain.
Good to know: Pain from kidney stones is often described as excruciating. Kidney pain from kidney stones can come and go. It can occur in bouts lasting between 20 minutes and an hour. People with painful kidney stones often cannot keep still because of the discomfort. They are often pale and sweaty, with a painful, tender abdomen.
Other symptoms of kidney stones include:
- Nausea
In addition to the above prevention methods, women can also:
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Diabetes And Kidney Failure
Without management, high blood sugar can damage your kidneys. The damage can worsen over time.
Diabetic nephropathy, or kidney damage caused by type 1 or type 2 diabetes, cant be reversed. Managing your blood sugar and blood pressure may help prevent or limit kidney damage. Taking medications as prescribed by your doctor is important, too.
If you have diabetes, your doctor will likely perform regular screenings to monitor for kidney failure.
Your risk for diabetic nephropathy increases the longer you live with diabetes.
Diabetes is the most common cause of kidney failure. About one-third of adults with diabetes have kidney disease, according to the
Modification Of Dialysis Techniques And Mineral Abnormalities
The prevalence of UP declines by using biocompatible dialysis membranes . Hence, the first approach to improve UP is still to optimize the dialysis efficiency, use biocompatible dialysis membranes and improve the nutrition status of patients. One study demonstrates that in a series of 30 cases, a polymethylmethacrylate artificial kidney may be a useful adjuvant therapy in chronic hemodialysis patients with severe UP, as it may eliminate more serum cytokines by adsorption than other types of high-flux membranes .
Because divalent ions, including magnesium and calcium, may possibly be involved in the pathogenesis of uremia, using a hemodialysis bath with low calcium and magnesium concentration and keeping the calcium à phosphate product less than 55 mg2/dL2 can play a role in improving the pruritus . However, drastic reduction in dialysate calcium concentration may possibly aggravate renal osteodystrophy.
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How Is Itching Treated
Itching can be eased by:
- Wearing loose, non-irritating clothing made of natural fabrics e.g. cotton
- Changing your toiletries or cleaning products
- Avoiding particularly dry environments
- Avoiding wearing perfumes or aftershave
- Using unscented shower and bath products
- Patting rather than rubbing your skin dry after a bath or shower
- Using an unscented moisturiser on dry areas of skin, particularly one containing menthol or aloe vera. This should be used every day, not just when you are itching, in order to maintain the skin’s barrier prevention. Your pharmacist can advise on suitable products.
When To Get Medical Advice
See your GP if you have persistent or worrying symptoms that you think could be caused by kidney disease.
The symptoms of kidney disease can be caused by many less serious conditions, so its important to get a proper diagnosis.
If you do have CKD, its best to get it diagnosed as soon as possible. Kidney disease can be diagnosed by having blood and urine tests.
Find out more about how CKD is diagnosed.
Page last reviewed: 29 August 2019 Next review due: 29 August 2022
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How Common Is Itching
Itching is very common. It affects around half of people with advanced kidney disease and almost everyone with kidney failure who is receiving dialysis or conservative care. You may find that you get itchier as your kidney function gets worse.
The precise cause for itching in kidney disease remains unclear but a number of factors may be involved.
Itching might be caused or made worse by:
- Allergies
- Anaemia – shortage of red blood cells
- Iron deficiency – low iron levels in the blood
- Certain medicines such as morphine-based pain killers
- Being on a restricted fluid intake
Common Ways Kidney Disease Can Affect Your Skin
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Why It Happens
This is not completely understood. Here are a few possibilities that we know of:
- One speculation is that since dialysis is a state where the body is in a state of chronic inflammation, this might be an inflammatory disorder. There have been studies that have looked at so-called “markers of inflammation” which have been shown to be high in patients with kidney failure experiencing pruritus.
- Dry skin is a common problem in dialysis patients which could be a contributing factor.
- Other allergy related and neurological causes have also been blamed for this.