Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic Kidney Disease
It is defined as the loss of kidney function and damage to kidney gradually and slowly. The function of kidney is to remove the excess substance from the blood and filtered the blood from the toxic substances.
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of chronic kidney disease include:
- Loss of appetite
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Muscles cramps
- Sleep problems
- Chest pain
- Swelling
- Breathing difficulty
- High blood pressure
- Change in urine quantity
Causes
It is occurred due the certain disease which affect the kidneys and impair the function of kidneys, they include:
- Inflammatory condition of glomeruli called glomerulonephritis
- Polycystic kidney disease
- Urinary tract infection
- Hypertension
- Diabetes mellitus
- pyelonephritis
Complications
If left untreated it may cause the following complications:
- Anemia
- Decrease sexual function
- Weak bones
- Heart and vessels disorder
- Pulmonary edema
- Damage nervous system
- Pericarditis
Diagnosis
Diagnostic procedure includes:
- Blood test to check the complete count and hormone level secreted by kidneys.
- Urinary analysis to check any abnormality and blood.
- Imaging test like x-ray and ultrasound.
- Biopsy of kidney tissue to check any risk of cancer.
Treatment
The aim of treatment is to reverse the kidney damage and restore the normal function of kidneys, if damage is occurred due to any other disease then first treat the causative disease. Treatment options include:
- Medication to treat anemia give folic acid and iron supplements.
- High blood pressure medicines
- Medications to lower the cholesterol level in blood.
- Give vitamin D to prevent the risk of bone fractures.
- Medications for edema
- If kidneys do not perform any function then dialysis is the only option to remove the waste substances from the body.
- Kidney transplant is the cure of chronic kidney disease for healthy individual.