Kidney failure and its causes

When you have kidney failure, the kidneys function less well, and cannot excrete water and harmful substances into the urine as well as before. Chronic renal failure develops slowly, while acute renal failure occurs suddenly. Kidney failure can have many different causes, and the treatment you receive depends on the cause of your kidney failure, if you are already facing some related issue then you may visit your physician or nephrology doctors

 

What is kidney failure?

The function of the kidneys in the body is to filter the blood, and then separate what is to be retained from what is to be sent out with the urine. Each kidney consists of over one million blood vessels (glomerulus) through which the blood is pressed. The blood vessels in the ball contain small holes through which blood can pass. On the other side of each blood vessel ball is a funnel that eventually leads to the urethra. When the filtered blood travels to the urethra, the substances that the body needs are taken back, while the rest goes out with the urine. If you suffer from kidney failure, the function of the kidneys has deteriorated, so that unnecessary water and harmful substances instead remain in the body.

Cause of kidney failure

We who work in healthcare usually divide kidney failure into acute kidney failure and chronic kidney failure.  Acute kidney failure comes on suddenly and often goes away completely again. It is usually not due to a disease in the kidneys but instead to a temporary disturbance in the fluid balance or obstruction in the urinary tract. Here are examples of conditions that can cause acute kidney failure:

dehydration, which causes the blood volume to decrease and causes too little blood to reach the kidneys to be filtered a kidney stone that sits between the kidney and the bladder, and prevents the urine from getting down to the bladder a tumor in the urinary tract, or an enlarged prostate gland, which also impedes the outflow of urine sork fever, a viral disease that can cause acute kidney failure

Fungal poisoning, for example of the fungus spiked poison spider (formerly called spiky poison spider)

Blood diseases, such as myeloma

Rheumatic diseases, such as SLE

Chronic kidney failure comes on insidiously, often for decades, and is usually caused by a disease that has affected the kidneys, for example:

·         Diabetes

·         Hypertension

·         Kidney inflammation

·         Prolonged narrowing of the urinary tract, for example due to enlarged prostate, kidney stones or a tumor disease

·         Cyst kidneys

·         Atherosclerosis of the kidneys

·         Symptoms of renal failure

Kidney failure causes symptoms depending on how impaired kidney function is. Common symptoms of mild deterioration are:

·         That there is blood when you urinate

·         That it foams when you pee

·         If your kidney function has deteriorated properly, symptoms such as:

·         Fatigue

·         That it itches on the body

·         Reduced appetite

·         If you have really severe kidney failure, you can get:

·         Vomiting and nausea

·         Bone swelling

·         Greater tendency to bleed

·         Breathing difficulties

·         Changes in heart rate

What can I do myself?

High blood pressure, high blood sugar and smoking damage your blood vessels, even those found in the kidneys. Therefore, be sure to take your medications for high blood pressure and diabetes and stop smoking if you smoke, whether you have developed kidney failure or not. Some medicines, such as certain antihypertensive and painkillers, can cause kidney failure if you take them after severe diarrhea or vomiting. To prevent acute kidney failure, you should therefore discontinue such medications if you get a stomach ache or visit any nephrology physicians for proper medication.

Treatment of renal failure

Acute kidney failure often needs to be treated in hospital. Common measures are intravenous fluids, and to remove the obstruction that blocks the urinary tract if there is one. Most people who have acute kidney failure recover completely.

According to most senior nephrology physicians, in chronic kidney failure, the function of the kidneys gets worse and worse, and there is no treatment that can stop the process. However, there are medications that prevent the deterioration from going as fast, and medications that can help with the symptoms that kidney failure causes. In really severe cases of kidney failure, dialysis or kidney transplantation is required.

When should I seek care?

Kidney failure only produces symptoms when the function of the kidneys is significantly reduced. Therefore, do not wait to seek care if you have symptoms of kidney failure. Seek care if you have your health center or an on-call reception if:

·         You detect blood in the urine

·         Your urine foams

·         You urinate less than usual

·         You are nauseous, tired and your body itches.

If you feel that you need to urinate but cannot urinate, you should immediately seek care at a health center, an emergency room.