Q.
Can I develop kidney disease?
A. Persons
who are diabetic, have long-standing or severe hypertension, or have diseases
involving the immune system like systemic lupus erythematosus are at risk of developing
kidney disease. In addition there are some kidney diseases that run in the family.
Therefore presence of family members with kidney diseases may also be an indicator
of future renal disease.
Q. How do I know if I have a kidney disease?
A. The symptoms of kidney diseases depend
on the nature of the disease. The most common symptoms are swelling of the feet
or the face (especially on waking up), a decrease in the amount of urine passed
or passage of blood or increased frothiness of urine. If the renal disease is
advanced then decrease in appetite and repeated vomiting occur. It is also a good
idea to find out if you have a renal disease you are under the age of 40 and have
to consistently get up 2-3 times to pass urine in the night. Some patients develop
aches and pains in their bones. An increase in BP could also be a manifestation
of a kidney disease.
Q. What test should I undergo to
find out if I have a renal disease?
A. You
should undergo a thorough evaluation by your physician. Among other things, your
blood pressure will be checked. Your urine should be looked at for protein as
well as for pus cells or blood cells. Your blood urea and creatinine levels should
also be checked.
Q. Are both of my kidneys affected?
A. Most diseases
affect both the kidneys simultaneously and to the same extent. There are some
diseases like stones, cancer and hypertension due to narrowing of the blood supply
to kidneys where only one kidney might be affected or the two kidneys may not
be involved to the same degree.
Q. I have a kidney disease.
What should I do?
A. The
treatment of kidney diseases depends on the nature of the kidney disease. The
best method to go about it is to consult your nearest Nephrologist. As a broad
principle, control of your BP and blood sugar (if high) will be important. Also,
many renal diseases are chronic which means they cannot be completely cured but
can be controlled with the help of medications. This means regular visits to a
nephrologist. Also, many over-the-counter medicines especially commonly available
pain remedies can adversely affect kidney function and you should not take any
new medicine without consulting and revealing the nature of your illness to a
doctor.
Q. How do I find out if there is a Nephrologist
in my area?
A.
The best method is to contact your physician who can guide you to a nephrologist.
The other option is to get in touch with us and we shall inform you.
Q. What happens if my kidneys fail?
A. Mild kidney failure can be managed with
medicines. But many kidney diseases will progress to severe kidney failure that
will require kidney replacement therapy – either dialysis or kidney transplantation.
In general, a person requires renal replacement therapy once the serum creatinine
value is consistently above 8 mg/dl, or if symptoms of severe renal failure (loss
of appetite, nausea, vomiting, loss of weight, extreme weakness, change in level
of consciousness, drastic reduction in urine volume, breathlessness due to accumulation
of fluid in the lungs or elevation of potassium levels in blood) appear.
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