The kidneys filter waste and excess fluid from the blood. As kidneys fail, waste builds up.
Mostly people exhibit no symptoms while some develop slowly and aren’t specific to that particular disease. Mostly it is diagnosed through lab tests.
Medication can only manage the disease and in later stages only dialysis or transplant may work. This disease affects more than 1 Million people per year and can lost lifelong. It is observed that mostly people above 40 are at higher risk.
Most reported symptoms include:
Fatigue, High blood pressure, Loss of appetite, water-electrolyte imbalance.
Other common symptoms include
Abnormal heart rhythm, failure to thrive, fluid in lungs, insufficient urine, weight loss, swelling, kidney failure, Nausea, Vomiting, Sleep Problems, Muscle twitching, Shortness of breath.
Kidneys are highly adaptive and symptoms may not occur till the end.
CAUSES:
Chronic kidney disease occurs when a condition impairs the kidney function damaging it over years and months.
- Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.
- High Blood pressure
- Glomerulonephritis which is an inflammation of the kidney filtering units called glomeruli.
- Interstitial Nephritis which is an inflammation of the kidney and its surrounding structures.
- Obstruction of urinary tract, from conditions such as enlarged prostate, cancers and most often kidney stone.
- Vesicoureteral which is a disease that causes urine reflux.
- Polycystic Kidneys.
- Kidney diseases that keep recurring.
Risk Factors:
There are certain risk factors that increase your risk of Chronic kidney disease. These are
- Diabetes
- Smoking
- Obesity
- High blood pressure
- Cardiovascular disease.
- Asian, African, Native American ethinicities have a higher risk.
- Family history of kidney disease.
- Older age.
Some of the complications that can be caused by the condition includes
- Swelling that occurs due to fluid retention in the body. This is generally visible in arms and legs and in the lungs.
- Heart and blood vessel disease( cardiovascular disease)
- A sudden rise in the potassium levels of blood which is known as Hyperkalemia which causes our heart to stress excessively which can be life threatening.
- Weakening of bones and an increase in the risk of bone fractures
- Anemia
- Erectile dysfunction and reduced sex drive
- Immunity weakens which makes you more susceptible to diseases
- Causes personality changes, damages central nervous system and difficulty concentrating.
- Inflammation of the saclike membrane lining the heart called the pericardium. This condition is called as Pericarditis.
- Pregnancy complications that can be highly dangerous for the mother and child.
- Irreversible kidney damage leading to either dialysis or transplant for survival.