The kidneys are located on either side of the spine. They perform the indispensable job of purifying the blood in the body and keeping the balance of minerals and salts in it. Without the kidneys, waste, chemicals and excess fluid would build up while the body’s salt and mineral balance would be unhinged. It is a fatal condition.
Chronic kidney disease is a condition where they have not been functioning properly for a while. While the onset of symptoms might seem sudden, the deterioration of the kidneys would have set in long before. This is because the healthy nephrons (millions of tiny filters in the kidneys) can take up the slack of the diseased and unhealthy ones. For a time that is. As more nephrons stop working though, the kidneys will begin to shut down. There are five stages of kidney disease ranging from kidney damage with normal GFR (glomular filtration rate) to kidney failure.
Some of the causes of chronic kidney disease are uncontrolled BP,
high blood sugar, kidney diseases and infections (such as polycystic kidney disease, pyelonephritis and so on), narrow or blocked renal artery and long-term use of certain drugs. This damage can be slowed or even halted with medication and lifestyle changes. If not halted, dialysis will be required, as well as a renal transplant.
This is a condition where the kidneys have suddenly stopped working completely.
It is dangerous and potentially fatal so it requires immediate action.
There are three major causes for acute kidney injury – blood loss, damage and blockage. A sudden blood loss to the kidneys can be the result of an injury, an infection (called sepsis) or heavy blood loss from the body itself. It can also be caused by sudden dehydration. Certain medicines, infections and even poisons can result in damage.
Some people with long-term health issues could suffer kidney problems from their medication. In the average person, this is rare. Sudden blockage can prevent urine from flowing out of the kidneys. This could be caused by a Tumour, Kidney Stones, an
enlarged prostate or even an injury. There are a host of symptoms but sometimes they may be very slight until the condition progresses very far.
If you experience a reduction in urine (or no urine) when trying, swelling of the legs and feet, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting,
back pain below the rib cage and so on, please consult one of our physicians without delay.
The occurrence of kidney stones is an unfortunately common condition. Anybody who has experienced it can testify that it is excruciatingly painful. In fact, it is said that the pain caused by a kidney stone is only second to that of childbirth.
Kidney stones are solid pieces of material which form when minerals in the kidneys become very concentrated. Often, patients might pass out small stones without even knowing it but the large ones can block the urinary tract and cause immense pain.
While they are common, nobody has been able to exactly pinpoint the cause of kidney stones. There are a host of conditions that seem to contribute to their formation ranging from genetic factors to low intake of water to urinary tract infections and so on. It is clear that diet and lifestyle also have an impact but the exact nature and correlation are not entirely clear.
Patients who visit a Kidney Stone hospital in Coimbatore can experience treatments vary from vast intake of fluids to medications to lithotripsy (shock waves) to laparoscopic surgery.
