What You Should Know About Kidney Disease

The kidney has the critical function of removing waste from the body and excess fluids from blood, sustaining the body’s electrolyte balance, and releasing vital hormones that regulate blood pressure, among other functions. Therefore, the kidneys are essential to having a healthy body. However, your kidneys can develop disorders. This can happen when the kidneys are destroyed, and they no longer function normally. Destruction of the kidneys may be caused by diabetes, high blood pressure, and several chronic ailments. If you develop kidney problems, you will need the help of a nephrologist. Ghayyath Sultan, M.D. is a kidney specialist at Houston Kidney Specialists Center who is experienced in dealing with all your kidney problems. In this facility, specialists offer a wide range of treatment options and patient support services to ensure that you get satisfactory results.

How do I know I have kidney disease?

Kidney disease is a condition that can be unrecognized until it becomes severe. Normally, anyone with kidney disease will depict a few symptoms of the disorder. Sometimes the symptoms cannot show. Common symptoms include:

• Tiredness
• A decline in the amount of urine
• Lack of appetite
• Swelling in the legs, ankles, and feet. This happens because water is withheld due to the inability of kidneys to do away with excess fluid.
• Nausea
• Lack of concentration
• Dry Skin
• Frequent urination
• Bulginess, especially around the eyes
• Coma and seizures
• Chest pain

Kidney disease can result from several other conditions, and the cause determines the type of failure. If you experience such signs, visit the doctor early for tests and treatment to avoid further complications.

What causes kidney disease?

Anybody can get kidney failure. However, some people are at risk of getting the disease. Such people can include diabetic people; diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease. You may also experience kidney failure if you have:

• High blood pressure
• Inflammation of kidney filtering units (glomerulonephritis)
• Interstitial nephritis
• Polycystic kidney disorder
• Pyelonephritis
• Vesicoureteral reflux
• Persistent blockage of the urinary tract caused by enlarged prostate or kidney stones
• Substance abuse
• Some disease such as malaria, yellow fever, systemic lupus erythematosus, kidney artery stenosis, among other causes

How is kidney disease prevented?

Though some risk factors such as age, race, and family history make it hard to prevent kidney disease, there are preventive measures you can take to stop the acquisition of such a disease. These include:

• Taking adequate water
• Management of chronic ailments such as diabetes, high blood pressure
• Management of diet; eat a healthy diet like whole grains, enough fruits, vegetables, and lean meat.
• Regular exercises
• Avoid abusing drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and alcohol.
• Avoid being exposed for long to heavy metals (lead), fuels, solvents and other toxic substances.
• Avoid smoking cigarettes

It is essential to get tested to detect an underlying problem such as kidney disease. This will assist in early diagnosis and treatment before the condition advances. It would help if you also changed your lifestyle to avoid getting some of the risk factors for kidney diseases. Remember to always follow the doctor’s instructions and instructions from over-the-counter antibiotics and speak to your doctor whenever you feel an unusual thing.