Kidney diseases are silent killers, which will largely affect your quality of life. There are however several easy ways to reduce the risk of developing kidney disease.
1. Keeping fit and active.
2. Keep regular control of your blood sugar level
3. Monitor your blood pressure
4. Eat healthy and keep your weight in check
5. Do not smoke
6. Do not take over-the-counter pills on a regular basis
7. Check your kidney function if you have one or more of the 'high risk' factors
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Detecting Kidney failure
How to detect renal failure
Kidney failure has no identifiable symptoms in the beginning. But as the condition advances, there are manifest symptoms such as
Kidney failure has no identifiable symptoms in the beginning. But as the condition advances, there are manifest symptoms such as
- Exhaustion
- Shortness of breath
- Abdominal pain
- Dark urine
- Facial puffiness and Swelling of body parts.
What causes kidney failure?
So...What causes kidney failure?
There are several triggers of kidney failure. Some occur due to injury, while others develop due to complications from diabetes, prostate cancer and kidney stones.
However, a kidney specialist at, says high blood pressure, diabetes and urinary tract infections are the highest causes of kidney failure.
Kidney failure is classified into three categories: pre-renal, renal and post-renal.
Pre-renal, the causes are due to decreased water or blood supply to the kidneys. These include, hypovolemia, a condition whereby there is low blood volume in the body due to excessive blood loss. Dehydration, poor intake of fluids and medication such as water pills are listed as other pre-renal causes of kidney failure.
Renal causes involve direct damage to the kidneys. Sepsis where by the body’s immune system is overwhelmed from infection and causes inflammation and shutdown of the kidneys. Some drugs particularly antibiotics, get toxic and harm kidneys, causing them to fail. Post-renal causes, on the other hand, affect the outflow of urine from the body. The causes include obstruction of the bladder or the ureters, which results in back pressure because the kidneys continue to produce urine. The obstruction acts like a dam, and urine backs up into the kidneys. When pressure increases, the kidneys shut down.
There are several triggers of kidney failure. Some occur due to injury, while others develop due to complications from diabetes, prostate cancer and kidney stones.
However, a kidney specialist at, says high blood pressure, diabetes and urinary tract infections are the highest causes of kidney failure.
Kidney failure is classified into three categories: pre-renal, renal and post-renal.
Pre-renal, the causes are due to decreased water or blood supply to the kidneys. These include, hypovolemia, a condition whereby there is low blood volume in the body due to excessive blood loss. Dehydration, poor intake of fluids and medication such as water pills are listed as other pre-renal causes of kidney failure.
Renal causes involve direct damage to the kidneys. Sepsis where by the body’s immune system is overwhelmed from infection and causes inflammation and shutdown of the kidneys. Some drugs particularly antibiotics, get toxic and harm kidneys, causing them to fail. Post-renal causes, on the other hand, affect the outflow of urine from the body. The causes include obstruction of the bladder or the ureters, which results in back pressure because the kidneys continue to produce urine. The obstruction acts like a dam, and urine backs up into the kidneys. When pressure increases, the kidneys shut down.
The 10 Reasons to love your kidneys are:
1. Filter 200 liters of blood a day, removing two liters of toxins, wastes and water
2. Regulate the body’s water balance
3. Regulate blood pressure by controlling fluid levels and making the hormone that causes blood vessels to constrict
4. Support healthy bones and tissues by producing the active form of vitamin D
5. Produce the hormone that stimulates bone marrow to manufacture red blood cells
6. Keep blood minerals in balance
7. Keep electrolytes in balance
8. Regulate blood acid levels
9. Remove drugs from the blood
10. Retrieve essential nutrients so that the body can reabsorb them
2. Regulate the body’s water balance
3. Regulate blood pressure by controlling fluid levels and making the hormone that causes blood vessels to constrict
4. Support healthy bones and tissues by producing the active form of vitamin D
5. Produce the hormone that stimulates bone marrow to manufacture red blood cells
6. Keep blood minerals in balance
7. Keep electrolytes in balance
8. Regulate blood acid levels
9. Remove drugs from the blood
10. Retrieve essential nutrients so that the body can reabsorb them
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