Can Kidney Damage Be Repaired?

Overview

What is kidney failure?

Kidney failure (too called renal failure) means i or both kidneys can no longer part well on their own. Sometimes, kidney failure is temporary and comes on chop-chop. Other times, information technology is a chronic condition that can get worse slowly over a long time.

Kidney failure may audio serious, and information technology is. But treatments such as dialysis and kidney transplant help many people with limited kidney office continue to live fulfilling lives.

What exercise the kidneys do?

The kidneys have several jobs. I of the most of import is helping your body eliminate toxins. The kidneys filter your blood and send waste out of your body in urine.

The kidneys are bean-shaped organs near the size of your fist. They sit under your ribcage, toward your back. Most people have two working kidneys, but people can live well as long equally at to the lowest degree 1 is working correctly.

When the kidneys don't work finer, waste products build upwardly in your body. If this happens, you might experience sick. In the most serious situations, kidney failure can be life-threatening. Nonetheless, many people tin can manage kidney failure with the right handling.

Symptoms and Causes

What causes kidney failure?

The well-nigh common causes of kidney failure are diabetes and loftier blood pressure. Sometimes, though, kidney failure happens quickly due to an unforeseen cause.

When the kidneys lose function all of a sudden (within hours or days), it's called astute kidney failure (or acute kidney injury). This blazon of kidney failure is often temporary. Common causes of acute kidney failure can include:

Autoimmune kidney diseases
Certain medications
Astringent dehydration
A urinary tract obstacle
Uncontrolled systemic disease like middle or liver disease

Kidney failure usually doesn't happen overnight. Chronic kidney illness refers to a group of health conditions that touch how well your kidneys function over time. If left untreated, chronic kidney disease tin lead to kidney failure.

The biggest causes of kidney failure from chronic kidney disease are:

Diabetes: Unmanaged diabetes tin can atomic number 82 to uncontrolled blood sugar levels. Consistently high blood saccharide tin can damage the trunk's organs, including the kidneys.
Loftier blood pressure level: Loftier blood force per unit area (hypertension) means blood travels through your body'due south blood vessels with increased strength. Over fourth dimension, untreated high blood pressure levels can damage the kidneys' tissue.

Other causes of chronic kidney disease include:

Polycystic kidney disease, a hereditary condition where cysts (fluid-filled sacs) grow inside your kidneys.
Glomerular diseases, such as glomerulonephritis, which affect how well the kidneys tin filter waste product.
Lupus and other autoimmune diseases that can affect multiple body systems.

What are the symptoms of kidney failure?

In early on stages of kidney affliction, many people experience few or no symptoms. It's important to notation that chronic kidney illness can nevertheless crusade damage even though you experience fine.

Chronic kidney disease and kidney failure can cause different symptoms for unlike people. If your kidneys aren't working properly, you may notice 1 or more than of the following signs:

Fatigue (extreme tiredness)
An upset breadbasket or vomiting
Confusion or trouble concentrating
Swelling, particularly around your easily or ankles
More frequent bath trips
Musculus spasms (muscle cramps)
Dry or itchy skin
Poor appetite or metallic gustation of food

Diagnosis and Tests

How is kidney failure diagnosed?

Doctors use a diverseness of tests to measure kidney function and diagnose kidney failure. If your doctors suspect yous may exist at risk for kidney failure, they may recommend:

Blood tests, which tin can show how well the kidneys are removing waste material from the blood.
Advanced imaging, which tin show kidney abnormalities or obstructions (blockages).
Urine tests, which measure the corporeality of urine or specific substances in the urine, such as protein or blood.

Direction and Handling

How is kidney failure treated?

Kidney failure treatment is determined by the cause and extent of the problem. Treating your chronic medical condition can delay the progression of kidney disease. If your kidneys starting time losing their function gradually, your doctor may utilize one or more methods to track your wellness. By watching y'all closely, your physician can aid you maintain your kidneys' function every bit long equally possible.

Your md may guess your kidney function with:

Routine claret tests
Claret force per unit area checks
Medication

Because the kidneys serve such an important purpose, people in kidney failure need treatment to go on them alive. The principal treatments for kidney failure are:

Dialysis : This treatment helps the body filter the blood (doing the job that the kidneys can no longer perform).
- In hemodialysis, a motorcar regularly cleans your blood for you. People often receive this kidney failure treatment at a infirmary or dialysis clinic, 3 or iv days each week.
- Peritoneal dialysis cleans the blood in a slightly unlike way using a dialysis solution and a catheter. Sometimes, people tin can do their treatment at home.
Kidney transplant: In kidney transplant surgery, doctors place a healthy kidney in your body to take over the job of your damaged organs. This healthy kidney, called a donor organ, may come from a deceased donor or a living donor, who may be a friend or family member. People can live well with i salubrious kidney.

Prevention

Can kidney failure be prevented?

While kidney failure from chronic kidney disease can't be reversed, you tin practice many things to assist preserve the kidney role you take today. Healthy habits and routines may slow down how quickly kidneys lose their functional abilities.

If yous have chronic kidney disease or kidney failure, you'll want to:

Monitor your kidney role, with your doctor's help.
Keep your blood sugar levels under command, if you have diabetes.
Keep your blood force per unit area levels in a normal range.
Avoid smoking.
Make salubrious diet choices, such as limiting foods high in protein and sodium.

Living With

When should I call the doctor?

A nephrologist (kidney specialist) receives special preparation in kidney evaluation and treatment. Y'all may benefit from a kidney specialist's practiced opinion if:

Y'all have trouble keeping your blood pressure level levels in a normal range, even with medication.
Your blood sugar levels fluctuate (become up and down) widely.