Kidney disease - CKD

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is usually a long and creeping process in which the kidneys gradually lose their functioning. Both their filtering function, as well as their hormone production and the task of blood pressure regulation are gradually getting worse and worse. This can lead to complications such as high blood pressure, anemia and weak bones. Risk factors for the development of chronic kidney disease are high blood pressure and diabetes. But other circumstances such as inflammatory processes in the kidneys (glomerulonephritis, pyelonephritis), autoimmune diseases or congenital diseases can damage the kidneys in the long term and end in chronic kidney disease.

Renal insufficiency and renal failure form final stages of various primary and secondary kidney diseases. They are characterized by barely adjustable blood pressure derailments and massive water retention in the body. Often, kidney replacement therapy using dialysis or kidney transplantation is the only treatment option.

Symptoms

• Sick increase in the amount of urine – Polyuria
• Quantity of severely reduced urinary excretion – oliguria
• Difficult, disturbed bladder emptying – Dysuria
• Painful urination, urinary compulsion – Stranguria
• Frequent urge to urinate – Pollakisuria
• swelling (edema), for example on the legs or face
• Pain in the kidney area
• Haematuria
• breathlessness
• Fatigue, lack of drive, weakness
• loss of appetite, nausea/vomiting
• Concentration disorders, confusion, impaired consciousness and even unconsciousness

The following clinical pictures and risk factors are strongly associated with the development of chronic renal failure or renal insufficiency. Many of these diseases directly affect the kidneys, but some are also systemic diseases. Their distribution looks something like this:

• Diabetes Type I (23%) and Type II (4%)
• Glomerulonephritis (20%)
• Vascular nephropathy (15%)
• Interstitial nephritis (13%)
• Unknown Genesis (10%)
• cystic kidneys (7%)
• Systemic diseases (3%)
• Miscellaneous (5%)

Risk factors:

• High blood pressure – hypertension
• Diabetes mellitus
• to smoke
• Genetic defect
• Gout – Hyperuricemia
• Occurrence of concrements (urinary stones) in the urinary tract – Urolithiasis
• Prostatic hypertrophy
• chronic use of potentially nephrotoxic drugs (e.g. gentamycin)

Urine diagnostics

Kidney diseases are often manifested by proteinuria. However, proteinuria does not always mean kidney disease and not every kidney disease shows proteinuria. The detection of protein in the urine is therefore neither evidence of kidney disease, nor does its absence preclude it. Proteinuria is therefore only an indication that further investigations are required for clarification.

If the proteinuria is due to kidney damage, the identification of the excreted proteins is a diagnostically relevant method. It allows the differentiation of various kidney diseases, as well as the localization of damage.

Therapy

• Control of elevated blood pressure and blood sugar levels
• Healthy diet/low protein diet/low-salt diet
• Weight loss
• No smoking
• Avoidance of certain pain medications

Did you know

• The kidneys remove excess water and waste from the body 24 hours a day
• Healthy kidneys cleanse the blood about 300 times a day