Causes of kidney failure you need to know & bull; hello healthy

The causes of kidney failure are actually quite varied. However, most cases of kidney failure indicate the disease is caused by certain health problems and leads an unhealthy lifestyle. So, what causes a person to experience kidney failure?

Common causes of kidney failure

Kidney failure does not occur suddenly, but the result of gradually decreasing kidney function. In fact, some people don't even realize they are experiencing kidney disease because they don't show specific symptoms. This is because most of the symptoms appear after the disease has gotten worse.

Therefore, recognizing what causes kidney failure is important to help you avoid this disease.

1. Diabetes

Diabetes is one of the main causes of kidney failure. This is because when a person has diabetes, the small blood vessels in the body will be injured. If the blood vessels in the kidneys are injured, this organ is unable to clean the blood properly.

The body may retain more water and salt than it should. As a result, weight gain and swelling of the arms and legs also occur. Damaged blood vessels can also result in protein in the urine and a buildup of waste in the blood.

Diabetes can also cause nerve damage in the body. This condition eventually makes it difficult for the body to empty the bladder. The pressure that results from a full bladder can then injure the kidneys and risk developing an infection.

2. Hypertension

Apart from diabetes, hypertension is also known as a disease that causes kidney failure. Kidneys that work properly use blood vessels to rid the blood of waste, toxins, and excess fluid.

When a person has high blood pressure, this means that the pressure is being applied consistently to artery walls throughout the body.

Reporting from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease, hypertension can narrow blood vessels. This condition eventually damages and weakens blood vessels throughout the body, including the kidneys. As a result, blood flow to the kidneys is reduced.

When this happens, the kidneys cannot filter waste and excess fluid from the body. The buildup that occurs in the blood vessels can also increase blood pressure and cause more damage which can lead to kidney failure.

Kidney failure caused by hypertension may take years to develop. Therefore, when you are diagnosed with kidney disease, identify the things that need to be done to treat the health of damaged kidneys.

3. Kidney damage due to drugs and infection

For those of you who do not have diabetes or hypertension, you may be wondering where their kidney failure comes from. In fact, the cause of kidney failure can be due to infection from drugs and toxins that damage the kidneys.

Most people do not have kidney disease because they take medication. However, not a few of those who suffer from serious and long-term health problems are at risk of developing kidney failure due to drugs.

This can occur, either directly or indirectly, due to dehydration, drastic increases in body temperature, and muscle damage.

The following are several types of drugs that have the potential to damage the kidneys and make a person experience acute kidney injury.

• Antibiotics, such as gentamicin and streptomycin.
• Painkillers, such as naproxen and ibuprofen.
• Blood pressure control drugs, such as ACE inhibitors.
• Exposure to the dye used in certain X-ray tests.

4. Genetic disease

So far, it is known that more than 60 genetic diseases can affect kidney health, either directly or indirectly. One of them is polycystic kidney disease (PKD) which can also cause a person to develop kidney failure.

Polycystic kidney disease is a genetic disorder characterized by the presence of cysts (benign tumors) in the kidneys. Cysts in the kidneys can cause the kidneys to enlarge and gradually lose function.

If not treated as early as possible, PKD can develop into permanent kidney failure and affect the liver.

5. Problems in the urinary tract

One of the problems in the urinary tract that causes kidney failure is an infection of the urinary tract. Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a condition when bacteria or germs enter the urinary tract and multiply. These bacteria can cause redness, swelling and pain.

If not treated immediately, the bacteria can spread to the kidneys and cause a more serious infection. However, cases of kidney failure due to UTI are quite rare because they can be treated well.

However, urinary tract infections caused by an enlarged prostate in men or kidney stones can damage kidney function when treated late. 1ISK in young children who have a high fever can sometimes cause kidney disease if not treated immediately.

6. Reflux nephropathy

Reflux nephropathy is a disease caused by substances that have gone through the filtering process in the kidneys and come out with urine back into the kidneys.

This condition can occur due to a problem with the bladder, so that the valve that is supposed to go to the ureter does not work.

If not treated properly, this disease can cause kidney failure slowly. This bladder abnormality is also often a congenital condition and often occurs in children.

6. Untreated rabdomyolysis

Did you know that it turns out that exercising too hard can be one of the causes for someone to experience kidney failure? High-intensity exercise has the risk of breaking the skeletal muscles. As a result, the muscle components enter the bloodstream and this condition is known as rabdiomyolysis.

Rabdomyolysis occurs when the muscles are very tired from working, causing the tissues inside to destroy themselves.

This turns out to be able to make the myoglobin enzyme and products in muscle fibers released into the bloodstream. This detached component then causes complications that lead to acute renal failure.

Renal failure problems caused by rabdiomyolosis are usually characterized by a brown or black discoloration of the urine. The change in urine color occurs due to muscle components mixed in the blood.

7. Lupus nephritis

Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can affect almost any part of the body, including the kidneys. Meanwhile, lupus nephritis is a term used when lupus causes inflammation of the kidneys. As a result, the kidneys can't work to filter waste from the blood and control the amount of fluid in your body.

The inflammation that occurs in the nephrons, the part of the kidney that filters blood, is the reason why kidney filtration doesn't work. The buildup of excessive levels of waste eventually causes swelling.

If not treated promptly, this condition can lead to scarring and permanent damage to the kidneys which increases the risk of end-stage kidney disease. End-stage renal failure patients require dialysis treatment or a kidney transplant to survive.