Types of Kidney Diseases | Book Kidney Function Test in Indirapuram

28-06-2017 | Posted By: Chhavi | 1966 View(s)

The kidneys are a pair of body organs located in the abdomen toward the back. Kidneys are approximately the size of a human fist, and each kidney is about 4 or 5 inches long. The kidneys play various important functions of the body like filtering the blood, flush waste out of the body, balance the level of electrolytes in the body, control Blood Pressure and also regulate the production of the Red Blood Cells.

What are the Kidney Diseases?

Kidneys are considered healthy when they remove waste from the blood, make essential chemicals and vitamins for body and balance the level of minerals and water in the body. When the kidneys are damaged, the waste products and fluids are not flushed out of the body which causes a lot of health problems such as swelling in ankles, loss of sleep, vomiting, shortness of breath and weakness and even kidney failure.

Kidneys Diseases can be divided into two categories:

1. Acute Kidney Diseases

If the kidneys stop functioning all of a sudden, Doctors call it Acute Kidney Injury or acute renal failure. The major causes of this condition are:

 Insufficient blood flow to the kidneys

 Kidney damage

 Urine stored in the kidneys

The things mentioned above happen when:

 You have a severe injury with blood loss,

 Your muscle tissue breaks down due to dehydration

 You take certain drugs or live in a toxic environment

 You have a severe infection called sepsis

 You suffer from autoimmune diseases

2. Chronic Kidney Diseases

When your kidneys do not function properly for more than three months, then this condition is called chronic kidney disease.

Certain conditions that can lead to chronic kidney diseases are:

 Diabetes (Type 1 and 2)

 High Blood Pressure

 Autoimmune diseases

 Urinary tract infections

 Inflammation in the tiny filters within the kidneys

 Polycystic kidney disease

What are the Symptoms of Kidney Disorders?

There are different symptoms of kidney failure, and sometimes people cannot observe any symptoms, but if a person has a kidney disorder, then he or she will see a few signs of the disease. The symptoms of kidney disorders include:

 Swollen legs, ankles and feet

 Urinating often than normal, or less often

 Shortness of breath

 Fatigue

 Nausea

 Pain in chest

 Seizures

 Feeling confused

 Loss of appetite

 Difficulty sleeping

 Muscle cramps

 Dry, itchy skin

 Unexpected weight loss

How is the Diagnosis Made?

To make a diagnosis, the Doctor first takes the medical history of the patient and conducts a physical examination. In certain cases, the Doctor also asks the patient to go for certain tests and procedures, such as:

 Blood Tests: Kidney Function tests are done to measure the level of waste products in the body, such as creatinine and urea.

 Urine tests: Urine tests are recommended by Doctors to screen for chronic kidney diseases and identify the cause of the diseases.

 Imaging tests: Imaging tests are done to see the kidneys’ structure and size.

 Biopsy: Kidney biopsy is done under local anaesthesia, and the biopsy sample is sent to the lab for testing which helps the Doctors to determine the reason behind the kidney problem.