Essential Facts About Chronic Kidney Disease

What is Chronic Kidney Disease?

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a health situation in which the kidneys fail to carry out their basic daily functions. Being a vital organ if it ceases to function smoothly the individual can have a severe health crisis with an increase in blood pressure, neural problems, anaemia, etc. In these cases, the nephrons present in the kidneys begin to get damaged and after a certain point of time, they fail to filter the blood optimally. This leads to kidney failure. If ignored or left untreated it can be life-threatening.

CAUSES OF CKD

• Diabetes and hypertension (high blood pressure) are the predominant health issues resulting in CKD in 75% of cases.

• The other leading factors include glomerulonephritis (inflammation of the kidney) and pyelonephritis (infection in the kidney).

• CKD can also be inherited which involves problems like polycystic kidney disease, lupus, kidney stones and enlarged prostate. Regular intake of analgesics (pain killers) can also cause CKD.

SYMPTOMS OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE

Generally, CKD does not have many symptoms in the early stages. However, in the subsequent stages, one might experience a deterioration in health conditions when the kidney functioning nears ESRD (End-Stage Renal Disease). Some of the chief symptoms include:

• Muscle cramps

• Nausea and vomiting

• Loss of appetite

• Swelling of feet and ankles

• Frequent urination or not enough urination

• Sleeplessness and breathlessness

• Diarrhoea

• Rash

• Abdominal pain

• Fever

• Nosebleeds

TREATMENT FOR CKD

There is no permanent cure for CKD. However, if detected in early stages, medications and a healthy diet can be a check for the damage. However, when CKD reaches its final stage (ESRD), doctors recommend dialysis or kidney transplantation in order to revive the normal functioning of kidneys.

Dialysis: There are two types of dialysis-

• Hemodialysis: The dialysis machine removes the excess fluids and waste products by pumping blood through the dialysis machine.

• Peritoneal dialysis: The function is same as hemodialysis except that the waste products are removed and the blood is cleaned inside the body. This is done by adding clean fluids inside the abdomen instead of filtering it through the dialysis machine.

Kidney Transplant: Patients with severe CKD necessarily go through kidney transplantation. A healthy kidney is implanted in the patient’s body and the damaged kidney is operated out.

For the best advice and a quality treatment on kidney diseases, it is important to reach out to a good nephrologist. There are some of India’s best Nephrology hospitals in Bangalore. People from within Bangalore and outside the city come to consult kidney specialists in Bangalore because they have a promising record of care and cure.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES FOR KIDNEY DISEASE

Kidney diseases can be avoided to some extent if you try to maintain a few healthy habits in your daily routine like.

• Avoiding the consumption of alcohol and smoking

• Maintain a healthy/doctor recommended diet

• Build up a habit for daily 30-min work-out

• Keep a regular track of your blood pressure and blood sugar level

• Go for periodic check-ups to your nephrologist

Top nephrologists in Bangalore and across the globe repeatedly say that a few healthy changes in your lifestyle can smoothen the functioning of kidneys along with all other organs.