Burden of kidney disease in society

It comes as a shocker to many that the kidneys, each about the size of a fist play such a major role in our wellbeing. However the major roles played by kidneys are as follows:

First, the kidneys are mainly involved in removing waste products from the body; preventing toxins from building up in the bloodstream. Second the kidneys produce hormones that take control of the functions of other parts of the body, for instance regulating blood pressure, producing red blood cells and also regulate the level of minerals and fluid in the body.

Post the circulation of blood through the entire body, it then passes onto the kidneys. The kidneys then filter waste products from the blood including extra salt and water and these are then passed out as urine. So imagine our kidneys getting into a non-functional mode. If this ever happens the waste product build-up is likely to cause some chemical imbalance which are otherwise required for the smooth functioning of the body. Such disorders among others are precisely termed as renal diseases.

There are different kinds of renal diseases, some even leading to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). ESRD is a condition in which the kidneys fail to work in a normal way with the patient needing dialysis or kidney transplant.

So what exactly causes these two little fist-sized organs to suddenly go out of order? Kidney diseases are mostly caused due to diabetes, high blood pressure, and hardening of the arteries. However some of these diseases can also occur due to the inflammation of the kidneys. This condition is called nephritis.
Some anatomic disorders too can lead to renal diseases besides the one resulting from metabolic disorders. The chances of the latter happening however are thin for in the case of metabolic kidney disorders are rare since they need to be inherited from both parents.

The other causes may as well include blockage of the system that drain the kidneys or the medications that are toxic to the kidney tissue.

Since the causes can vary, so can the symptoms. Some very common symptoms however are too much or too little urine, or passing blood or abnormal levels of chemicals in urine. But if the disease is caused by a bacterial infection, the first sign is high fever. In case of moderate or mild kidney diseases, there are sometimes no symptoms at all.

But to say that these do not cause any pain will be wrong. Kidney stones in the ureter are seen to cause some cramping pain that spreads from the lower back into the groin. The disease can lead to chronic or acute kidney failure. While failure of kidneys in the former happens gradually, the latter may happen within a few hours or days. Both are life-threatening.

The real problem however lies in the diagnosis of the disease because unless there’s a tumour or the kidneys are swollen, it becomes difficult for the doctors to check by simply feeling the kidneys. There are however tests that check the kidney tissues, take urine samples and checks for protein, sugar, blood, and ketones etc.

When treating kidneys, the doctors tend to concentrate more on the underlying cause of the disease. The infections can also be cured by antibiotics if the infection is caused by bacteria.

In case of acute kidney failure this scheme works best. In such cases treating the original cause can help return the kidney to its normal functioning. But in most of kidney failure cases, the blood pressure has first to be brought to be normal in order to evade any more progression of disease.

End-stage kidney failures are only controlled by dialysis or kidney transplant. Dialysis can be done once a week or more often depending on the condition. In case of transplant the diseased ones are replaced by a new or a healthy one. These transplants are said to work 80 per cent of the time. The only fear in this case is what is the body rejects the transplant. The risk however is worth it because a healthy kidney can help you live a better life.