These problems with the kidneys may be caused by:. As we age, changes in the structure of the kidneys can cause them to lose some of their ability to remove wastes from the blood. The muscles in the ureters, bladder, and urethra also tend to lose some of their strength. But this alone does not cause chronic kidney diseases. Illness or injury. Damage to the kidneys caused by illness, inflammation, immune responses, or an injury can also prevent them from filtering the blood completely or block the passage of urine.
Diabetes and high blood pressure hypertension are leading causes of kidney disease. The kidneys may be damaged by substances, such as certain medicines, a buildup of some substances in the body, or toxic substances such as poisons.
Diseases of the kidney and urinary tract remain a major cause of illness and death in the U. The National Kidney Foundation states that more than 37 million Americans are affected by chronic kidney diseases.
Millions more are at risk. Each person may have different symptoms. But these are the most common symptoms of kidney disease:. Muscle cramps or pain in small of back just below the ribs not aggravated by movement. Some kidney conditions are inherited run in families. Others are congenital; that is, individuals may be born with an abnormality that can affect their kidneys.
The following are some of the most common types and causes of kidney damage. Diabetes is a disease in which your body does not make enough insulin or cannot use normal amounts of insulin properly. This results in a high blood sugar level, which can cause problems in many parts of your body. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease.
High blood pressure also known as hypertension is another common cause of kidney disease and other complications such as heart attacks and strokes. High blood pressure occurs when the force of blood against your artery walls increases. When high blood pressure is controlled, the risk of complications such as chronic kidney disease is decreased.
Glomerulonephritis is a disease that causes inflammation of the kidney's tiny filtering units called the glomeruli. Glomerulonephritis may happen suddenly, for example, after a strep throat, and the individual may get well again. However, the disease may develop slowly over several years and it may cause progressive loss of kidney function. Polycystic kidney disease is the most common inherited kidney disease.
It is characterized by the formation of kidney cysts that enlarge over time and may cause serious kidney damage and even kidney failure. Other inherited diseases that affect the kidneys include Alport's Syndrome,primary hyperoxaluria and cystinuria.
Kidney stones are very common, and when they pass, they may cause severe pain in your back and side. There are many possible causes of kidney stones, including an inherited disorder that causes too much calcium to be absorbed from foods and urinary tract infections or obstructions.
Sometimes, medications and diet can help to prevent recurrent stone formation. In cases where stones are too large to pass, treatments may be done to remove the stones or break them down into small pieces that can pass out of the body. These infections most often affect the bladder, but they sometimes spread to the kidneys, and they may cause fever and pain in your back. Congenital diseases may also affect the kidneys. These usually involve some problem that occurs in the urinary tract when a baby is developing in its mother's womb.
One of the most common occurs when a valve-like mechanism between the bladder and ureter urine tube fails to work properly and allows urine to back up reflux to the kidneys, causing infections and possible kidney damage. Drugs and toxins can also cause kidney problems. Using large numbers of over-the-counter pain relievers for a long time may be harmful to the kidneys. Certain other medications, toxins, pesticides and "street" drugs such as heroin and crack can also cause kidney damage.
Early detection and treatment of chronic kidney disease are the keys to keeping kidney disease from progressing to kidney failure. A complicated chemical exchange takes place, as waste materials and water in your blood enter your urinary system. Chloride — Like sodium, this chemical helps maintain a balance of fluid in the body.
It is also absorbed from salted foods and is absorbed in the bloodstream in the bowel. In addition to removing waste, the kidneys have other important functions. These are carried out with the help of three hormones, which are released in the kidneys. Kidney disease can affect you in a number of different ways. These include:. Proteinuria or protein in the urine is frequently the earliest symptom of kidney disease. You will have read, in the previous section, how the kidney works and that the kidney has about a million filters.
When the kidney is healthy it allows very little protein into the urine. If these filters become leaky, small amounts of protein will leak into the urine. This is frequently an early sign of kidney trouble long before the kidney function itself begins to deteriorate. There are many causes of protein in the urine, including diabetes and glomerulonephritis. Whilst your doctor will conduct a number of special blood tests, to try to determine the underlying cause, it may be necessary to undergo a kidney biopsy, to establish the exact cause of the protein.
Patients who have very large amounts of protein in the urine, greater than 3 grams , are described as having nephrotic syndrome. Patients with nephrotic syndrome frequently have swollen legs. Haematuria or blood in the urine can either be present in amounts that you can see macrascopic or in amounts that you cannot see microscopic in which it is only detected with urine testing. Blood in the urine may not appear red but more like strong tea coloured.
Blood in the urine is frequently an alarming symptom and it should never be ignored. However, it only takes a few drops of blood for the urine to turn red. There are a large number of potential causes of blood in the urine including: urine infection, kidney stones, kidney or bladder tumours and inflammation in the kidney called glomerulonephritis GN.
If you have haematuria, the first thing your doctor will do is to make sure you do not have a urine infection or bladder or kidney tumour. To do this, you will usually need to have a number of scans of the kidney and may well need a cystoscopy. A cystoscopy is a test in which a camera with a light is inserted into the bladder.
If these tests are normal your doctor will then focus on determining if the blood is coming from kidney inflammation or glomerulonephritis. This may require further specific blood and urine tests or a kidney biopsy. High blood pressure hypertension may arise due to, or as a result of, kidney disease. It is important, however, to realise that the vast majority of people, with high blood pressure, have entirely normal kidney function. If you have high blood pressure, it is very important to treat it as it will help preserve your kidney function and reduce the risk of developing a stroke or heart attack.
Elevate Serum Creatinine - The serum creatinine is a blood test that is used to monitor kidney function. The serum creatinine may be elevated as an early sign of kidney disease long before there are any symptoms evident of kidney disease.
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