Kidney function
- Removing wastes like urea,creatinine etc
- Maintaining the body's chemical balance (homeostasis). Producing hormones.
- A hormone called renin, which helps regulate blood pressure.
- A hormone called erythropoietin, which is needed for the production of red blood cells ( hemoglobin).
- A form of vitamin D, which is needed to absorb calcium from the food. Vitamin D and calcium are needed to build healthy bones and maintain normal muscle function.
How to test kidney function
- Creatinine
- Blood urea
- Electrolytes: Sodium, potassium
- Calcium,phosphorus
- Complete urine analysis for protein,blood etc
- 24 hours urine for protein and creatinine clearance.
Kidney Failure
- Acute : Sudden
- Reversible
- Complete/ ? Incomplete
- Support with dialysis- temporary
Chronic Kidney Disease
- Long standing
- Progressive
- Irrepairable
- Can be slowed down if detected early
- Can have sudden,temporary deterioration
- Once, “end stage”, requires “life long” dialysis
- Prepare for transplantation
- Several associated problems
- Conservative treatment – expensive
What causes CKD?
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
Other causes of kidney failure
- Glomerulonephritis
- Arteriosclerosis
- Congenital abnormalities of urinary system
- Obstructions of urinary system
- Toxins
- Polycystic kidney disease
- Infection
- Kidney stones
- Trauma (physical injury)
What are the symptoms?
Most people do not have any severe symptoms until their kidney disease gets worse.However, you may:
- feel more tired
- have less energy
- have trouble thinking clearly
- have a poor appetite
- have trouble sleeping
- have dry, itchy skin
- have muscle cramping at night
- have swollen feet and ankles
- have puffiness around your eyes, especially in the morning
- need to urinate more often, especially at night.
Stage |
Description |
Glomerular Filtration Rate |
|---|---|---|
At Increase D Risk |
Risk Factors for kidney disease ( e,g.,) diabetes, high blood pressure, family history, Older age, ethnic group) |
More than 90 |
1 |
Kidney Damage (protein in the urine) and normal GFR |
More than 90 |
2 |
Kidney damage and mild decrease in GFR |
60 to 89 |
3 |
Moderate decrease in GFR |
30 to 59 |
4 |
Severe decrease in GFR |
15 to 29 |
5 |
Kidney failure (dialysis or kidney transplant needed) |
Less than 15 |
Kidney failure .... Where to go?
Three ways:
- Hemodialysis
- Peritoneal dialysis
- Kidney transplantation
Dialysis
- Hemodialysis uses a manmade membrane (dialyzer) to filter wastes and remove extra fluid from the blood. It is usually done in a hospital or outpatient dialysis center 3 times a week.
- Peritoneal dialysis uses the lining of the abdomen (peritoneal membrane) and a salt solution (dialysate) to remove wastes and extra fluid from the body. Treatment can be done at home over several sessions each day or for several hours at night.
Is a treatment for kidney failure that helps filter waste products from the blood when the kidneys are not working properly. The two main types of dialysis are