Meet Your Kidneys Part 2

Your Kidneys Get Sick Too You Know

This is part 2 of a 3 part series about knowing your kidneys. Part 2 deals with signs which might tell you that you may have a kidney problem. If you want to read Part 1, click here. An overview of common groups of kidney diseases are also discussed with an an overview for ease of understanding.
Your kidneys get sick too you know, just like every organ in your body. Before they get too sick, there may be some obvious clinical signs and symptoms that may be noticed. But with many kidney diseases it’s not always obvious, and you might not be able to feel or notice anything until the damage becomes permanent. So pay attention, this is important. You or someone you love could be experiencing kidney problems.

The following are some common signs which can tell you that you might have a kidney problem. It's important to keep in mind that most diseases of the kidney affect the two (your two kidneys). If you're kidneys are already having problems cleaning (filtering) your blood, excess fluid and toxic wastes can build up in your system.

1. Generalized Swelling. This is characterized as having swelling around the eyes (or, if you don't want to be technical about it, puffiness), on both feet and hands. Anasarca is the medical term for markedly generalized swelling. The anasarca is caused by the movement of fluid from inside the cells to the extracellular space (or outside of the cells). Anasarca isn't exclusively seen among persons diagnosed with kidney disease. It can also be observed among persons with liver disease or from children suffering from severe malnutrition.
2. Protein and/or blood in your urine. Examine your pee for a few minutes. Look at the color. If you see blood (bright red blood), this might have originated from the urinary tract. The urinary tract is the path where your urine exits both kidneys and proceeds all the way to your urethra (where pee comes out). On the other hand, if you see tea colored urine, the source of the color is usually from the kidneys. Okay, if you don't like tea, let's change it to Coca-cola colored urine. The presence of blood (whether fresh or tea colored) should be evaluated and never ignored. By the way, the normal color of your pee should be pale yellow. Of course, your diet and vitamins you take can alter the color of your pee. The medical term for blood in the urine is hematuria.
Proteinuria is the medical term for the presence of excess protein in the urine. Classically, urine rich in protein can manifest as bubbly urine or foamy urine, although the presence of bubbles isn't specific for proteinuria. A normal person usually loses a small amount of protein in the urine. When in excess, it could point to a kidney problem like for example, problem in the glomerulus (ball of capillaries filtering the blood).
3. Abnormal kidney function tests. When we say kidney function, we're referring to the kidney's ability to perform its role. Abnormal tests of kidney function (called the creatinine test and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) test) indicates that your kidneys have difficulty in eliminating toxic wastes and byproducts. This usually points to a kidney problem. Another kidney function test that warrants mention is the GFR which stands for glomerular filtration rate. It assesses how fast your glomerulus (plural for glomeruli, since there are many!) filters your blood.
4. High blood pressure. What? You thought heart and blood vessel problems are the only ones responsible for your high blood pressure? Guess again. Your kidneys may be biting down on the bigger piece of the pie. They may be the ones responsible for your high blood pressure. Easiest way to know if you have high blood pressure? Have your blood pressure checked out regularly!
5. How many times do you pee, specifically at night? Does it hurt? Frequent urination at nighttime (called nocturia) is the urge to pass pee more often than usual. It could be harmless or could point to a kidney problem. If you drink alcoholic beverages before you go to bed, you might wake up during the night several times (unless you're passed out from alcohol , but that's another whole problem alltogether). On the other hand, the problem may lie in your kidneys. One of the most common causes is a kidney infection, especially if accompanied by chills, back pain and fever. Diabetes and prostate problems (if you're male) are other common causes of nocturia. Pain while peeing could mean an infection anywhere along the urinary tract which could also reach both kidneys

Overview of Kidney Diseases

For purposes of simplicity, kidney diseases can be placed under the following groups:

Congenital kidney diseases. Some persons are born with kidney diseases. Other persons can inherit the kidney problems from their parents. A condition known as polycystic kidney disease is a good example. This condition includes the presence of several cysts on both kidneys. The presence of these cysts renders both kidneys unable to perform their function well which can ultimately lead to kidney failure. It's important to note that although they're called congenital or inherited, the clinical signs and symptoms of the disease could first manifest itself when the child is older or even in adult years.

Acquired kidney diseases. This is a very broad group of kidney conditions. The most common ones under acquired kidney diseases are mentioned below:

1. Kidney stones. The medical term for the presence of stones in the kidneys is nephrolithiasis. The stones are actually minerals which have crystallized (precipitated) and grew large enough to block the flow of your urine. It can be very painful. Some stones can be passed out in the urine on their own, while others are too large, cause pain and need to be treated.
2. Diabetic Nephropathy. I think you can figure out the cause of this kidney problem. You're right, the main culprit here is diabetes. You see, diabetes can also damage your kidneys. The constant high amounts of sugar in your blood continuously pound on your beloved kidneys leading to chronic renal disease as time passes by.
3. Hypertensive Nephropathy. Can you guess the cause of this one? Yes, it's hypertension. Persistently elevated high blood pressure damages the balls of capillaries (glomerulus, plural for glomeruli) in your kidneys. Better take control of your blood pressure before it's too late.
4. Interstitial Nephritis. This disease is comprised of inflammation involving the space (made up of interstitium) between the tubules in your kidney. The most common cause of this renal condition is an allergic reaction to certain medications specifically to antibiotics (penicillin and cephalexin) and pain relievers (analgesics like aspirin). Other drugs implicated are quinolones, diuretics, phenytoin, allopurinol, rifampin and sulfa drugs. Please be careful with the medicines that you take. The same medications which you hope would make you feel better may be the same ones which can aggravate your condition. Other causes of interstitial nephritis include toxins and infections of the kidneys.
5. Acute Renal Failure. When you're diagnosed with acute renal failure, you're kidney function suddenly worsens. A stone in the urinary tract and severe dehydration are some reversible causes of acute renal failure.
6. Chronic Renal Failure. Chronic renal failure may be the endpoint of the groups of diseases enumerated here. Being labeled as one with chronic renal failure would mean that there's some permanent loss of kidney function. Your mortal enemies, diabetes and hypertension are among the most common causes.
7. Kidney Infection. Yes, the kidneys can develop an infection too. Medically, the term is pyelonephritis. You will experience fever and some degree of back pain. The bacteria can originate from your bladder (called an ascending infection).
8. Glomerulonephritis. This is a large group of kidney diseases. A hypersensitive immune system is usually to blame for this. The immune system tends to attack the glomeruli leading to inflammation and can manifest as blood in the urine.
9. Kidney Cancer. Is there any vital part in your body that doesn't get cancer? Smoking is the leading cause of renal cell carcinoma, the most common cancer that can pester your kidneys if you continue to smoke.
10. ESRD. This may be one of the worst abbreviations you will know in your life. It stands for End Stage Renal Disease. It's the final pathway for untreated chronic renal failure. If you're diagnosed with this one, you will need regular dialysis or a kidney transplant.

Note: There are many more specific types of kidney problems. The groups given here are provided to give you a bird's eye view of things that you can commonly encounter.

Here is the third installment, Meet Your Kidneys Part 3 as we outline some valuable information regarding alternative treatments for some common kidney diseases.

If you want to read Part 1, click here.