What Is The Work Of Kidney In Our Body

Improving Your Kidney Function Can Be Simple

So you see for many, improving kidney function doesnt need to be difficult. In most cases, simply by stepping to the side and getting out of your own way, checking your thoughts, fears, and excuses at the door, you can catalyse massive changes in your health, by simply allowing the healing to take place.

Rubbing Lanterns Wont Help Improve Your Kidney Function, But Heres What Can

Now stay with me I am not saying that that you can cure all by thinking just happy thoughts, wishing, and getting out of the way, no definitely not. There are many practical things you can do every day, with little to no fuss that are very effective in helping increase kidney function. Very helpful indeed.

Note: thinking positive however sure wont hurt, in fact it will go a long way your mindset is the single biggest determining factor on how quickly you heal.

So in tune with todays theme of simplicity, I would like to share with you 10 effortless tips that can be applied immediately to help your kidney function, no need to leave home, and no need to spend a dime.

How Does The Egfr Number Relate To Kidney Disease

Your provider may diagnose chronic kidney disease when your eGFR stays below 60 for three months in a row.

There are five stages:

• Stage 1 indicates mild kidney damage, but your kidneys are working well.
• Stage 2 indicates an increase in kidney damage from stage 1, but the kidneys continue to function well.
• Stage 3 means you have decreased kidney function and may experience symptoms.
• Stage 4 is poor kidney function, with moderate to severe kidney damage.
• Stage 5 is a sign of kidney failure. It means you have less than 15% kidney function. This stage is the most serious and can be life-threatening. You will need dialysis or a kidney transplant.

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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The Tubule Returns Needed Substances To Your Blood And Removes Wastes

A blood vessel runs alongside the tubule. As the filtered fluid moves along the tubule, the blood vessel reabsorbs almost all of the water, along with minerals and nutrients your body needs. The tubule helps remove excess acid from the blood. The remaining fluid and wastes in the tubule become urine.

Who Is More Likely To Develop Ckd

You are at risk for kidney disease if you have

• Diabetes. Diabetes is the leading cause of CKD. High blood glucose, also called blood sugar, from diabetes can damage the blood vessels in your kidneys. Almost 1 in 3 people with diabetes has CKD.1
• High blood pressure. High blood pressure is the second leading cause of CKD. Like high blood glucose, high blood pressure also can damage the blood vessels in your kidneys. Almost 1 in 5 adults with high blood pressure has CKD.1
• Heart disease. Research shows a link between kidney disease and heart disease. People with heart disease are at higher risk for kidney disease, and people with kidney disease are at higher risk for heart disease. Researchers are working to better understand the relationship between kidney disease and heart disease.
• Family history of kidney failure. If your mother, father, sister, or brother has kidney failure, you are at risk for CKD. Kidney disease tends to run in families. If you have kidney disease, encourage family members to get tested. Use tips from the family health reunion guide and speak with your family during special gatherings.

Your chances of having kidney disease increase with age.1 The longer you have had diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease, the more likely that you will have kidney disease.

If you are at risk for kidney disease, learn ways to prevent kidney disease.

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What Affects The Amount Of Urine You Produce

The amount of urine you produce depends on many factors, such as the amount of liquid and food you consume and the amount of fluid you lose through sweating and breathing. Certain medicines, medical conditions, and types of food can also affect the amount of urine you produce. Children produce less urine than adults.

Keeping Your Kidneys Healthy

Well-functioning kidneys are essential to your overall health. Early detection of kidney disease can be life-saving. Medication and changes to lifestyle, along with an early referral to a kidney specialist, can prevent or delay kidney failure.

If you are at increased risk of chronic kidney disease, talk to your doctor about having a regular kidney health check.

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What Is Peritoneal Dialysis

Peritoneal dialysis uses the lining of the abdominal cavity as the dialysis filter to rid the body of waste and to balance electrolyte levels. A catheter is placed in the abdominal cavity through the abdominal wall by a surgeon, and it is expected to remain in place for the long-term. The dialysis solution is then dripped in through the catheter and left in the abdominal cavity for a few hours after which, it is drained out. During that time, waste products leech from the blood flowing through the lining of the abdomen , and attach themselves to the fluid that has been instilled by the catheters. Often, patients instill the dialysate fluid before bedtime, and drain it in the morning.

There are benefits and complications for each type of dialysis. Not every patient can choose which type he or she would prefer. The treatment decision depends on the patients illness and their past medical history along with other issues. Usually, the nephrologist will have a long discussion with the patient and family to decide what will be the best option available.

Dialysis is lifesaving. Without it, patients whose kidneys no longer function would die relatively quickly due to electrolyte abnormalities and the buildup of toxins in the blood stream. Patients may live many years with dialysis but other underlying and associated illnesses often are the cause of death.

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National Kidney And Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse

3 Information Way Phone: 18008915390 Fax: 7037384929 Internet: www.kidney.niddk.nih.gov/ The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases . The NIDDK is part of the National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Established in 1987, the Clearinghouse provides information about diseases of the kidneys and urologic system to people with kidney and urologic disorders and to their families, health care professionals, and the public. The NKUDIC answers inquiries, develops and distributes publications, and works closely with professional and patient organizations and Government agencies to coordinate resources about kidney and urologic diseases. Publications produced by the Clearinghouse are carefully reviewed by both NIDDK scientists and outside experts. This publication was reviewed by Akinlolu Ojo, M.D., Ph.D., University of Michigan. This publication is not copyrighted. The Clearinghouse encourages users of this publication to duplicate and distribute as many copies as desired.

NIH Publication No. 075390 July 2007

Kidney & Urology Foundation of America104 West 40th Street, Suite 500 | New York NY 10018 | 212.629.977063 West Main Street, Suite G | Freehold, NJ 07728 | 732.866.44441.800.633.6628Kidney & Urology Foundation of America is a national, 501 c not-for-profit organization.©

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Kidney Parts And Functions

For each kidney:

• Renal arterythe large artery that carries blood from the heart to the kidneys to be cleaned
• Nephronsmillions of these tiny filtration centers exist throughout the kidneys
• Glomerulusa special strainer inside each nephron that keeps the blood cells and necessary substances in your blood and filters extra fluid and waste out
• Ureterthe tube from the bladder that allows urine to exit your body. Urine is made as kidneys filter out excess fluid and waste

What Does Low Egfr Levels Mean

An eGFR blood test that ranges between 60 and 90 indicates healthy kidney function. However,if the eGFR blood test range is below 60,it reveals the possibility of a kidney disease. In fact,if your report shows a low eGFR blood test in the range of 60 to 20,you should seek medical help immediately for kidney malfunction or kidney disorders.

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Who Has Low Or High Blood Creatinine Levels

• Muscular young or middle-aged adults may have more creatinine in their blood than the norm for the general population.
• Elderly persons may have less creatinine in their blood than the norm. Infants have normal levels of about 0.2 or more, depending on their muscle development.
• In people with malnutrition, severe weight loss, and long standing illnesses, the muscle mass tends to diminish over time and, therefore, their creatinine level may be lower than expected for their age.

What Treatments Are Available For Kidney Failure

There are two treatments for kidney failure dialysis and kidney transplant. The dialysis treatments or transplanted kidney will take over some of the work of your damaged kidneys and remove wastes and extra fluid from your body. This will make many of your symptoms better.

• Two different types of dialysis can be done hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. Both remove waste products and extra fluid from your blood.
• A kidney transplant is an operation that places a healthy kidney in your body.

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How Is An Egfr Test Different From A Basic Or Comprehensive Metabolic Panel Test

Both the basic metabolic panel and comprehensive metabolic panel are blood tests that help to assess how well the kidneys are working however, the standard version of these tests do not include a calculation of eGFR.

That said, the BMP and CMP involve a measurement of creatinine, so these tests may enable the lab or your doctor to estimate GFR.

In addition, the BMP and CMP include assessments of more than just kidney function. For example, these tests measure blood sugar and levels of electrolytes that facilitate many important processes in the body.

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Should You Check Your Kidney Function

If youre concerned about symptoms that youre experiencing, its important to make a trip to your doctor for a check-up.

If you simply want to know a bit more about your kidney health, you have the option to take a kidney function test from the comfort of your own home. With LetsGetCheckeds Kidney Function Test you can monitor your kidney function and performance and receive your online results within 5 days.

You should consider taking a Kidney Function Test if any of the below are applicable to you:

• You suffer from high blood pressure
• You suffer from diabetes

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What Are The Complications Of A Solitary Kidney

Complications from a solitary kidney are rare but may include

• increased protein in the urine, known as albuminuria.
• a lower-than-normal glomerular filtration rate , which measures how quickly your kidneys filter wastes and extra fluid from your blood. While less common, this complication can at times lead to kidney failure.
• high blood pressure.
• high blood pressure during pregnancy. This complication less commonly results in organ damage in the mother or child, a condition known as preeclampsia.

People with kidney agenesis or kidney dysplasia can be at an increased risk for developing kidney disease. For example, if your solitary kidney functioned normally during childhood, you still have an increased risk of having decreased kidney function as an adult.4,5

How To Prepare For The Gfr Test

Your health care provider may ask you to briefly stop any medicines that might impact the test results. These consist of antibiotics and stomach acid medications.

Be sure to inform your provider about all the medicines you take. Do not stop taking any medication before speaking with your doctor.

Inform your doctor if you are pregnant or believe you might be. GFR is affected by pregnancy.

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Water And Electrolyte Balance

People consume water regularly in order to maintain life. More water is produced by the processing of food. If the amount of water added to the body is not matched by an equal amount going out, water accumulates rapidly and the person becomes ill and may even die. Excess water dilutes the body’s electrolytes, whereas water restriction concentrates them. The body’s electrolytes must be maintained at very precise concentrations. The kidneys regulate and help maintain the proper balance of water and electrolytes.

Blood enters a glomerulus at high pressure. Much of the fluid part of blood is filtered through small pores in the glomerulus, leaving behind blood cells and most large molecules, such as proteins. The clear, filtered fluid enters Bowman space and passes into the tubule leading from Bowman capsule. In healthy adults, about 47 gallons of fluid is filtered into the kidney tubules each day. Nearly all this fluid is reabsorbed by the kidney. Only about 1.5 to 2% of the fluid is excreted as urine. For this reabsorption to occur, different parts of the nephron actively secrete and reabsorb different electrolytes, which pull the water along, and other parts of the nephron vary their permeability to water, allowing more or less water to return to the circulation. The details of these processes are a bit complicated.

Calculating Your Glomerular Filtration Rate

What Stage Am I In?

There are five stages of kidney disease. Your glomerular filtration rate considered by medical professionals to be the best measure of kidney functionlets kidney care experts figure out your stage of kidney disease. Understanding it can help you learn how to take control and make any change to certain lifestyle habits in order to possibly slow the progression of your condition. Determining your GFR levels requires a simple blood test. Use this GFR Calculator tool to help you determine which stage of kidney disease you are in currently.

What Your GFR Result Means

Completely healthy kidney function is measured at a glomerular filtration rate of around 100, which means that the kidneys are working at 100 percent. Your kidney function is still considered normal if the GFR number is 90 or greater. If your GFR is 45, you know that your kidneys are working at approximately 45 percent of the normal rate.

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Early Ckd May Not Have Any Symptoms

You may wonder how you can have CKD and feel fine. Our kidneys have a greater capacity to do their job than is needed to keep us healthy. For example, you can donate one kidney and remain healthy. You can also have kidney damage without any symptoms because, despite the damage, your kidneys are still doing enough work to keep you feeling well. For many people, the only way to know if you have kidney disease is to get your kidneys checked with blood and urine tests.

As kidney disease gets worse, a person may have swelling, called edema. Edema happens when the kidneys cant get rid of extra fluid and salt. Edema can occur in the legs, feet, or ankles, and less often in the hands or face.

What Happens When Your Kidneys Fail

The slow loss of kidney function over a few months or years is called chronic kidney disease . Chronic kidney disease can occur when a condition damages your kidneys and keeps them from doing their job to keep you healthy. When your kidneys fail, dangerous levels of fluids and waste can build up in your body and make you feel sick. Kidney failure occurs when you have less than 15% of your kidney function. When your kidneys fail you may require dialysis or a kidney transplant to stay alive.

Chronic kidney disease may be caused by:

• High blood pressure and diabetes the most common causes of kidney disease
• Inflammation or infections
• Inherited genetic conditions such as polycystic disease
• Long-term blockage in the urinary system

Early detection and treatment can help prevent chronic kidney disease from getting worse.

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Mechanism Of Excretion In Humans

The process of excretion in humans takes place in the following steps:

Urine Formation

The urine is formed in the nephrons and involves the following steps:

• Glomerular Filtration

• Secretion

Glomerular Filtration

It is the primary step in urine formation. In this process, the excess fluid and waste products from the kidney are filtered out of the blood into the urine collection tubules of the kidney and eliminated out of the body.

The amount of filtrate produced by the kidneys every minute is known as Glomerular Filtration Rate .

Tubular Reabsorption

It is the absorption of ions and molecules such as sodium ions, glucose, amino acids, water etc. Water involves passive absorption, while glucose and sodium ions are absorbed by an active process.

Secretion

Potassium ions, hydrogen ions, and ammonia are secreted out to maintain the equilibrium between the body fluids.

The functions of the various tubules involved in the process are:

• Glomerulus- filters the blood

• Proximal Convoluted Tubules – reabsorb water, ions and nutrients. They remove toxins and help in maintaining the ionic balance and pH of the body fluids by secretion of potassium, hydrogen and ammonia to filtrate and reabsorbing bicarbonate ions from the filtrate.

• Descending Loop of Henle- is permeable to water and the filtrate gets concentrated as it is impermeable to electrolytes.

• Collecting Duct- a large amount of water is reabsorbed from the filtrate by the collecting duct.

Micturition

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