What do kidneys do?
The kidneys filter your blood and remove excess waste and fluid from your body, which is excreted as urine. Removing the excess minerals and electrolytes, including sodium, potassium, phosphorus, and calcium, is vital to maintain a balance in the body. Blood pumps from the heart to arteries in the kidneys; the blood is cleaned through the millions of glomeruli, the filtering units of the kidneys. The kidneys then pump the filtered blood out to the rest of the body, and the waste is excreted through the urine.
Kidney Disease
Kidney disease is damage to the kidneys that prevent them from properly filtering the body’s blood. There are different types and levels of kidney disease.
Acute kidney injury is a sudden dysfunction of the kidneys, typically because of another disease or sickness. Acute kidney injury may be temporary and minor or can lead to kidney failure and long-term kidney disease.
Chronic kidney disease is a progressive disease with irreversible damage to the kidneys. CKD may be a result of acute kidney injury that was not treated properly.
Main Causes of Kidney Disease
The main cause of kidney disease is diabetes, and the second cause is hypertension. High blood sugar levels (diabetes) can cause damage to the filters in the kidneys as they try to filter the sugar from the blood. High blood pressure (hypertension) can damage the blood vessels in the kidneys, preventing the kidneys from functioning properly. There are many other causes that can cause kidney damage, such as drug toxicities and infections.
Symptoms of Kidney Disease
· Nausea
· Increase or decrease in urinating than your usual
· Sweet smelling/ bubbly urine
· Itchy skin
· Swelling in feet, ankles, and legs
· Tiredness
If experiencing any symptoms, notify your doctor to get labs drawn. Changes in certain labs can confirm indicators of kidney disease. Assessed and Endorsed by the MedReport Medical Review Board