Kidney disease: symptoms, causes, to treatment

Definition

What is kidney disease?

Kidney disease is a malfunctioning of the kidneys. The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs located in the abdominal cavity, on either side of the spine in the middle of the back, just above your back. As part of the urinary tract, the kidneys have several roles, namely:

• Cleanses blood from toxins, waste products, and excess fluid.
• Helps produce urine.
• Maintain a balance of salt and minerals in your blood.
• Helps regulate blood pressure.
• Produces erythropoietin, which functions to make red blood cells.
• Produces active vitamin D compounds needed to maintain bone health.

Kidney damage causes waste products and fluids to build up in the body. This condition causes several problems, such as swelling in the ankles, vomiting, weakness, insomnia, and shortness of breath.

Kidney disease can also be triggered by a number of other health problems, such as high blood pressure (hypertension) and diabetes. This means that people who have both diseases are at a higher risk of developing kidney disease even though their previous kidney function was normal.

If kidney disease is not treated properly, a number of complications can arise, namely:

• kidney infection,
• kidney stones,
• kidney failure,
• kidney cysts, and
• kidney cancer.

Why shouldn't kidney disease be underestimated?

Most kidney disorders attack the nephrons. Nephrons are part of the kidney organ. When the nephrons are disturbed, the kidneys are unable to excrete waste.

When kidney function stops completely, the body will be filled with water and waste products, also known as uremia. As a result, the body or feet swell and feel tired quickly because the body needs clean blood.

Uremia that is not treated properly can lead to seizures or coma and death. Therefore, disturbances in kidney function should not be underestimated because they can be fatal.

Type

Types of kidney disease

Kidney disease that is not treated properly can cause a number of conditions that can endanger the body. Here are some of the most common types of kidney disease:

1. Chronic kidney failure

Chronic kidney failure is a kidney disorder that has lasted for more than three months. This condition can occur because the kidneys can no longer filter waste and cannot control the amount of water, salt, and calcium in the blood.

2. Acute renal failure

When the kidneys are unable to remove metabolic waste from the body and balance water and electrolytes, it means you have acute kidney failure. The kidneys usually remove metabolic waste from the body and produce urine. When acute kidney disease occurs, a buildup of waste will occur as a result of not being properly secreted.

3. Kidney stones

Kidney stones are hard deposits formed from substances in the urine. This disease, known as stone bladder, can be as small as several inches. Kidney stones usually don't cause symptoms, but they can cause urinary tract problems, such as infection and obstruction of urine flow.

4. Kidney cysts

Kidney cysts are fluid-filled sacs that form inside the kidneys. Kidney cysts can cause serious problems with kidney function. Generally, this type of kidney disease rarely causes complications or is known as a simple kidney cyst.

There are three types of kidney cysts, namely polycystic kidneys, medullary kidney cysts, andmedullary sponge kidney.

5. Glomerulonephritis

Glomerulonephritis (disorder of the glomerulus) is a condition when inflammation occurs in the kidneys. The kidneys have a small filter consisting of tiny blood vessels and are responsible for filtering the blood when it is excess fluid, electrolytes, and waste.

The filter then carries the waste into the urine. If the glomeruli are damaged, kidney function will be impaired and can lead to kidney failure.

Symptoms

What are the symptoms of kidney disease?

In the early stages of kidney disease, there are usually no serious symptoms. Signs and symptoms of kidney disease will develop over time if the decline in kidney function is slow.

Here are some signs and symptoms of kidney disease.

• Nausea and vomiting.
• Loss of appetite.
• The body feels weak and lethargic (lack of enthusiasm).
• Disturbed sleep.
• Urinating less frequently.
• Change in color and foam.
• Urine mixed with blood (hematuria).
• Muscle twitching and cramps.
• The body swells, especially in the feet and hands.
• Dry and itchy skin.
• Chest pain due to fluid buildup around the lining of the heart.
• Rhythm or heart rate disturbances.
• High blood pressure (hypertension).
• Difficulty concentrating and often feel dizzy.
• Shortness of breath due to fluid buildup in the lungs.

The signs and symptoms of abnormalities in the kidneys are not very specific. This is because kidney disease is often caused by other diseases. In some cases, symptoms of kidney problems may not appear until serious damage has been done.

Therefore, make an appointment with your doctor if you have signs or symptoms of kidney disease.

When to go to the doctor

If you have any signs or symptoms of kidney disease listed above, consult a doctor immediately. Every body functions differently from one another. Always discuss with your doctor to find the best solution for your situation.

Cause

What causes kidney disease?

Based on the types, here are the causes of kidney disease.

Causes of chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease occurs as a result of conditions that impair kidney function over a period of months or years. There are several things that cause kidney function to decrease due to chronic kidneys, namely:

• Damage to blood vessels to the kidneys due to hypertension and diabetes
• Inflammation of the tissue units of the kidney, glomerulus (glomerulonephritis)
• Growth of cysts on the kidneys (polycystic kidney disease)
• The flow of urine back to the kidneys (Vesicoureteral reflux)
• Congenital kidney or urinary tract disorders
• Recurrent kidney infection (pyelonephritis)

Causes of acute kidney failure

Acute kidney failure is sudden damage to the kidney organs. In some cases, this kidney disorder lasts briefly. However, it is possible that it can occur for a long time.

Here are some of the causes of damage to the kidneys.

• Damage to kidney tissue from drugs or severe infection (sepsis).
• Have a history of chronic kidney disease.
• Blockage of urine from the kidneys.
• Dehydration.
• Damage to muscles whose fragments enter the bloodstream (rabdomyolysis).
• The existence of traumatic injury to the kidney accompanied by blood loss.
• Obstruction of urine flow due to enlarged prostate.
• Pregnancy complications, such as eclampsia and preeclampsia, or associated HELLP Syndrome.

Risk factors

Who is at risk for kidney disease?

Diabetes and hypertension are associated with kidney disease. Apart from these two diseases, there are a number of other factors that put a person at an increased risk of developing kidney disease.

• History of heart disease.
• Smoke.
• Obesity.
• High cholesterol.
• Family history of kidney disease.
• African, Native American, or Asian.
• Are over 65 years of age (elderly).

The above factors are irreversible factors. In addition, kidney disorders are often associated with other medical conditions, such as the following.

• Blockage of a blood vessel in an arm or leg.
• Diabetes.
• Hypertension.
• Heart failure.
• Currently undergoing intensive care in the hospital due to a serious illness.
• Liver disease.

Complications

What are the possible complications?

If you have kidney disease, almost every part of your body will be affected. Here are some of the risks of complications that can occur due to damaged kidneys.

• Swelling of the arms on the feet and hands and high blood pressure due to fluid blockage.
• Sudden increase in potassium levels in the blood (hyperkalemia) which interferes with liver function.
• Risk of heart and blood vessel disease.
• Weakened bone strength and risk of fractures.
• Anemia.
• Impotence and decreased sex drive.
• Central nervous system damage that causes difficulty concentrating to seizures.
• The immune response decreases and it is easier to become infected with diseases.
• Pericarditis, inflammation of the membrane of the sac, such as the one that covers your liver (pericardium).
• Pregnancy complications.
• Permanent damage to the kidneys and requires a kidney transplant to stay alive.

Diagnosis

How do you diagnose kidney disease?

Early kidney disease usually has no signs or symptoms. Testing is the only way to find out how your kidneys are doing. It is important for your kidneys to be checked if you have any major risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or a family history of kidney failure.

Here are some tests of the kidneys and the abnormalities in them.

• Blood test to check GFR and see if the kidneys are filtering properly.
• Creatinine clearance test.
• Kidney biopsy to take a sample of kidney tissue.
• Blood Urea Nitrogen (NUD).
• Imaging tests in the form of ultrasound and CT scan.
• Urine test to check for albumin, which is protein in the urine when kidney function is impaired.

In addition to some of the tests above, blood pressure can also be a benchmark, whether you have kidney disease or not. Therefore, you are encouraged to maintain the blood pressure set by each health care provider.

The sooner you know that you have kidney disease, the sooner you can get treatment to help delay or prevent kidney failure. For people with diabetes and other risk factors, regular check-ups every year are recommended.

Medicine and medication

The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice. ALWAYS consult your doctor.

What is the treatment for kidney disease?

Treatment for damaged kidneys depends on the underlying cause. Some kidney diseases are treatable, but not infrequently they are not curable.

Kidney disease treatment methods usually aim to help control symptoms, reduce the risk of complications and slow down the severity. Kidney disease also might make the condition worse over time and can lead to kidney failure.

If this happens, treatment for end-stage renal impairment may be needed. Therefore, the doctor will try to slow down and control the causes of kidney disease that you are experiencing, so that it varies.

Quoted from the US National Kidney Foundation, here are some treatment options for kidney disease.

• ACE inhibitors or ARBs to help control blood pressure and protein in the urine.
• antibiotics to inhibit bacterial growth.
• dialysis or kidney transplant when it reaches end-stage kidney disease.
• conservative therapy, which is undergoing treatment that focuses on controlling symptoms and quality of life.
• on a low-salt diet.

Home remedies

Lifestyle changes and home remedies to treat kidney disease

Patients with kidney disease can actually live like other normal people, such as working, hanging out with the closest people, and being physically active. However, you need to change your lifestyle and diet in order to live a healthier and longer life.

This is because complications of kidney disease, such as heart attack and stroke, are at risk. Therefore, lifestyle changes are good for your heart and kidneys.

Lifestyle changes

A healthy lifestyle is a guide that must be followed by people with kidney disease. This is especially important if you have diabetes, hypertension, or both.

You can start by discussing this issue with a nutritionist, diabetes specialist, or other health care professional. Here are some things you can do to control symptoms and help maintain kidney health.

• Maintain blood pressure and regulate sodium levels according to doctor's recommendations.
• Control blood sugar levels if you have diabetes to reduce the severity of kidney pain.
• Maintain blood cholesterol with diet, regular exercise, to maintain body weight.
• Take medication as directed by your doctor.
• Start reducing and quitting smoking so as not to worsen kidney damage.
• Exercise more actively so that blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol levels are maintained.
• Lose weight if you are overweight so your kidneys don't work harder.

Diet changes

A healthy lifestyle is inseparable from a nutritious diet when you have kidney disease. There are several foods that are good for the kidneys. However, you need to pay attention to ready-to-eat foods because they contain high salt and sodium additives that can aggravate kidney conditions.

Generally, your doctor will recommend that you consult a nutritionist or a dietitian. This is so that you can find out how to choose foods that are easily processed by the kidneys and learn about important nutrients for kidney disease.

If you have any questions, consult your doctor for the best solution to your problem.