What is kidney failure?

Health
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WHAT IS KIDNEY FAILURE?

Kidney failure is a condition where kidneys stop doing their functions.

In this condition, blood is not filtered thus waste and harmful material in the blood accumulate inside the body, causes serious problems.

It may be acute or chronic. But don’t take it easy and visit a doctor for treatment. At the earlier stages, it is easy to cure as with time it becomes more complex and it’s difficult to cure.

We can’t live without kidneys as they perform very important functions. To live a healthy life, your one kidney should be working properly at least.

WHAT ARE KIDNEYS?

Kidneys are bean-shaped organs, located at the lower back, just below the ribcage, where the size of each is equal to a fist. Functions of kidneys are:

  • To remove waste materials from the blood by the filtering process.

  • Remove waste product and excess fluid in the form of urine.

  • Production of urine by complex processes and re-absorption.

  • Controls pH level of blood and other fluids.

  • It reduces many important hormones. For example, hormones to regulate blood pressure are produced by the kidney.

  • It also produces vitamin D, thus make the bones healthy and stronger.

  • It balances fluids inside the body.

  • It produces a hormone called erythropoietin to make red blood cells.

  • It regulates water level by excreting the hormone ADH.

Kidneys are an essential part of the body to maintain homeostasis of the body’s extracellular fluids, If they are not working properly, it leads to disturbance in the internal environment of the body.

The functional unit of the kidney is known as Nephron. There are billions of nephrons in each kidney.

Common problems related to kidneys are kidney stones and kidney failures. These both are curable but with more easiness at the beginning of the problem with the time, it’s getting difficult to treat them.

EFFECTS OF KIDNEY FAILURE?

  • Your kidney stop working, excess fluid accumulates in your body. Blood is not filtered, thus the chemical composition of blood changes causing serious problems.

  • Retention of fluid inside the body causes many problems.

  • It can cause high blood pressure, leading to cardiovascular problems.

  • Damaged kidneys can cause storage of harmful fluids in the body, cause swelling, nausea weakness and sleeping sickness, and shortness of breath.

Causes itching and drying of the skin.

  • It can cause muscle paralysis.

  • When kidneys stop working, important body functions are stopped and can be life-threatening.

Symptoms of kidney failure:

  • Vomiting and nausea.

  • Fatigue and loss of energy.

  • Darkening of skin.

  • Abnormal level of urine production.

  • Difficulty in urinating.

  • Swelling and at the hands, face, and legs.

  • Shortness of breath.

  • Loss of concentration.

  • Sleeping sickness.

  • Having blood in urine

  • Bubbles in the urine.

  • Poor appetite and facing muscle cramps.

  • Abnormal heart rhythms.

  • General body weakness

  • Dizziness and memory problems.

  • Unbalancing of blood pressure.

  • It can affect the functioning of other organs. Like the heart, functioning is highly affected by the lower working of the kidney. It also affects the nervous system badly.

If you feel such symptoms go to the doctor for treatment. Because long-term kidney failure can lead to lung problems, change the chemical composition of blood, and harm to your body by retention of harmful fluids in the body for a long time.

Chronic kidney failure affects all your body parts almost.

CAUSES OF KIDNEY FAILURE:

  • Overdosing of painkillers.

  • Drinking an amount of water less than your body needs.

  • Taking sugary drinks, or foods having much sugar like sweets.

  • Taking the excess amount of Alchohol.

  • Not taking adequate sleep.

  • Taking too much meat.

  • Hypertension which is not controlled.

  • Muscle breakdown

  • Prolonged diabetes

  • Some infectious diseases also cause kidney failure.

TREATMENT OF KIDNEY FAILURE:

1). Dialysis.

  • Dialysis is a common treatment of kidney failure.

  • In this process, we remove waste products, and extra fluid from the body artificially.

  • As your kidney is not able to do this, thus the artificial process is done to perform such necessary functions.

  • Blood is filtered by dialysis but urine production can’t be done by dialysis.

  • It is not a permanent cure but increases the survival time of the patient.

  • It is a painless process and patients have to do it regularly as an accumulation of extra and harmful products can disturb your blood composition and long-time stay of such substances may harm your body.

2). Kidney transplant.

  • Kidney transplant is another option to treat kidney failure. It is a permanent cure for kidney failure but a bit expensive.

  • It is a surgical process, in which a damaged or failed kidney is replaced by a healthy kidney.

  • You can take a kidney from a living or deceased donor. But kidney from a living donor is preferred because it works for a longer time.

  • Live Kidney donor should be in a good psychological condition and should be healthy.

  • For living or deceased kidney donor, blood type should always be compatible.

Acute Kidney failure can also lead to a permanent disability, depending on the seriousness of kidney disease. Hence, visit the doctor if you feel less functioning of your kidneys.

HOW TO KEEP KIDNEYS FIT AND PREVENT FROM KIDNEY DISORDERS?

  • Don’t intake cold drinks as they have a high amount of sugar.

  • Take enough sleep.

  • Drink much amount of water to keep your kidneys fit.

  • Don’t intake drugs or painkillers.

  • Don’t smoke to keep your kidneys healthy.

  • Eat healthy foods like vegetables and fruits. Because eating much junk food can also affect your kidney functioning.

  • Take a nutritious diet.

  • Maintain your body weight.

  • Take care of your mental health by zero stress level.

Kidneys are necessary organs for us to perform essential functions of the body. If they are not working properly, the whole body is affected and other organs are also affected. So visit the doctor for treatment in earlier stages.

Take a nutritious diet and have a healthy lifestyle to prevent such problems but If you have kidney failure, transplant it for permanent relief or do dialysis regularly to increase survival time.

CONCLUSION:

Kidneys are organs inside our body, perform important functions of our body like removal of harmful substances, maintaining blood pressure, secretion of hormones and production of urine, etc. If your kidney is not working well, recover it earlier as it may lead to kidney failure.