Chronic kidney disease

 

Chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease occurs when a disease or condition impairs kidney function, causing kidney damage to worsen over several months or years.

Diseases and conditions that cause chronic kidney disease include:

·         Type 1 or type 2 diabetes

·         High blood pressure

·         Glomerulonephritis (gloe-mer-u-low-nuh-FRY-tis), an inflammation of the kidney's filtering units (glomeruli)

·         Interstitial nephritis (in-tur-STISH-ul nuh-FRY-tis), an inflammation of the kidney's tubules and surrounding structures

·         Polycystic kidney disease or other inherited kidney diseases

·         Prolonged obstruction of the urinary tract, from conditions such as enlarged prostate, kidney stones and some cancers

·         Vesicoureteral (ves-ih-koe-yoo-REE-tur-ul) reflux, a condition that causes urine to back up into your kidneys

·         Recurrent kidney infection, also called pyelonephritis (pie-uh-low-nuh-FRY-tis)

 

Types of kidney diseases

Fabry disease

Fabry disease is a rare genetic disease that is passed down through your family. It affects organs all around your body, including your heart, brain and kidneys, and can cause them to get less blood than they need. Over time, this can cause chronic kidney disease or kidney failure.

Cystinosis

Cystinosis is a rare disorder that allows a natural chemical called cystine to build up in your body and cause health problems. Kidney damage from cystinosis can cause kidney failure. People with cystinosis must take medicine to lower their cystine levels and may need a kidney transplant. Cystinosis is genetic (runs in families) and is most often diagnosed in young babies.

Glomerulonephritis

Is when the tiny filters in your kidneys that clean your blood (glomeruli) are damaged and lose their ability to remove waste and fluid from your blood. Over time, this can cause kidney failure. Many health problems can cause glomerulonephritis and treatment depends on the cause.

Rare diseases

There are other rare diseases that can damage your kidneys and lower their ability to filter waste and fluid out of your blood. This damage can lead to chronic kidney disease or kidney failure. 

 

Polycystic Kidney Disease

Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a genetic (runs in families) disorder that causes cysts (growths filled with fluid) to form on your kidneys and other organs. These cysts can lower your kidney's ability to filter fluid and waste from your blood. Over time, PKD can cause kidney failure. There is no cure for PKD, but treatments can slow the growth of the cysts and prevent PKD symptoms from causing health problems.

Lupus Nephritis

Lupus Nephritis is an autoimmune disease (a disease that causes your body's immune system to attack its own tissues) that leads to pain, swelling and damage in your whole body, including your kidneys. This can lead to chronic kidney disease or kidney failure. The exact cause of lupus nephritis is unknown and it cannot be cured, but with treatment many people with lupus can lower their symptoms and prevent serious kidney damage. 

 

 

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of chronic kidney disease develop over time if kidney damage progresses slowly. Loss of kidney function can cause a buildup of fluid or body waste or electrolyte problems. Depending on how severe it is, loss of kidney function can cause:

·         Nausea

·         Vomiting

·         Loss of appetite

·         Fatigue and weakness

·         Sleep problems

·         Urinating more or less

·         Decreased mental sharpness

·         Muscle cramps

·         Swelling of feet and ankles

·         Dry, itchy skin

·         High blood pressure (hypertension) that's difficult to control

·         Shortness of breath, if fluid builds up in the lungs

·         Chest pain, if fluid builds up around the lining of the heart

 

Kidney Disease Diagnosis

Your doctor will start by asking questions about your family medical history, which medications you're taking, and if you notice that you're peeing more or less than normal. After that, they'll do a Physical exam.

You also may have:

• Blood tests, to see how much waste product is in your blood
• Urine tests, to check for kidney failure
• Imaging tests, like an Ultrasound, to let the doctor see your kidneys
• A kidney biopsy, where tissue from your kidney is sent to a lab for testing to try and figure out the cause of your kidney issues.

Kidney Disease Treatment

Some forms of kidney disease are treatable. The goals of these treatments are to ease symptoms, help keep the disease from getting worse, and lessen complications. In some cases, your treatment may help restore some of your kidney function. There is no cure for chronic kidney disease.

The plan you and your doctor will decide on will depend on what’s causing your kidney disease. In some cases, even when the cause of your condition is controlled, your kidney disease will worsen.

 

 

What are the risk factors of chronic kidney disease?

Anyone can get chronic kidney disease at any age. However, some people are more likely than others to develop kidney disease. You may have an increased risk for kidney disease if you:

• have diabetes
• have high blood pressure
• have a family history of kidney failure
• are older

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preventing chronic kidney disease

Preventing chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its complications is possible by managing risk factors and treating the disease to slow its progression and reduce the risk of complications. To keep healthy kidneys, it is important to control those risk factors for CKD that can be modified.

 

Managing Risk Factors for CKD

• Among people with diabetes and high blood pressure, blood sugar and blood pressure control have been shown to lower the risk of developing kidney disease.
• Several studies have shown the possibility for preventing or delaying the start of diabetic kidney disease by treating patients who have diabetes with blood pressure-lowering drugs. In addition to lowering blood pressure, these medications reduce protein in the urine, a risk factor for developing kidney disease.
• Managing blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels is very important because these are all risk factors for heart disease and stroke.
• Because having kidney disease increases the chances of also having heart disease and stroke, early detection and treatment of kidney disease is important for people with diabetes to help prevent or delay cardiovascular death and kidney failure.