The Kidney
Kidneys are critical organs in the human body. They “clean” your blood and discard the wastes in the form of urine, help your body to make red blood cells, and regulate blood pressure. Their function in maintaining your body’s health is as important as your heart or your lungs. Normally, people have two kidneys, one on either side of the spine under the lower ribs.
The kidneys perform their life-sustaining job of filtering and returning to the bloodstream about 200 quarts of fluid every 24 hours. Approximately two quarts are eliminated from the body in the form of urine, while the remainder, about 198 quarts, is retained in the body. The urine we excrete has been stored in the bladder for approximately one to eight hours.
Here’s how kidneys perform their important work:
- Blood enters the kidneys through an artery from the heart
- The blood is cleaned by passing through millions of tiny blood filters
- Waste material passes through the ureter and is stored in the bladder as urine
- Newly cleaned blood returns to the bloodstream by way of veins
- When the bladder becomes full, urine exits the body through the urethra
Your kidneys also make hormones that help:
- control your blood pressure
- make red blood cells
- keep your bones strong and healthy
Damaged kidneys don’t heal. By knowing more about kidney disease and the common causes and risk factors, you will better understand how to protect and preserve your kidney function.
Maintaining A Healthy Kidney
Kidney disease describes a variety of conditions and disorders that affect the kidneys. Most kidney diseases attack the filtering units of the kidneys—the nephrons—and damage their ability to eliminate wastes and excess fluids. Kidney disease can range from mild to severe and, in some cases, lead to kidney failure.
In most cases, supporting your kidney health depends on managing other medical conditions you may have, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and learning more about kidney disease.
1. Manage your medical conditions
One of the most important ways to preserve your kidney function is to gain control over other medical conditions you may have.
- Blood pressure control is one of the most effective ways of slowing the progression of kidney disease. High blood pressure can cause the filters in your kidneys to become scarred and lead to a decrease in kidney function.
- It is important to control your blood sugar if you have diabetes. High blood sugar clogs all blood vessels, including the filters of the kidney, which causes decreased kidney function.
2. Maintain a healthy lifestyle
Weight: If you are overweight, losing even a small amount of weight can help you control your blood pressure and blood sugar. People with kidney disease who are underweight are at a higher risk of malnutrition, which can affect their energy level and how well they fight off infections. Where you carry your weight is as important as how much weight you carry. Eating a well-balanced diet and staying physically active can help.
Smoking: If you smoke, try to quit. Smoking increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, lung disease, kidney disease, and cancer. Smoking can be particularly harmful if you have kidney disease and can increase the risk of progression to end-stage kidney disease.
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
Chronic kidney disease is defined as a decreased level of kidney function for a period of three months or more. Kidney disease can range from mild to severe and, in some cases, lead to kidney failure (sometimes referred to as end-stage kidney disease, or ESKD). Kidney disease often starts slowly and develops without symptoms over several years, so CKD may not be detected until it has progressed to the point where your kidney function is quite poor. Fortunately, most people do not progress to end-stage kidney disease, especially if they are diagnosed early and are able to take steps to preserve their remaining kidney function.
End-stage kidney disease means the end of your kidney function: your kidneys no longer adequately filter your blood. If your kidneys fail, the treatment options available include different forms of dialysis or kidney transplantation.
About Dialysis
Most people can remain on dialysis for many years, although the treatment can only partially compensate for the loss of kidney function. Having kidneys that do not work properly can place a significant strain on the body.
When your kidneys fail, dialysis keeps your body in balance by:
- removing waste, salt, and extra water to prevent them from building up in the body
- keeping a safe level of certain chemicals in your blood, such as potassium, sodium, and bicarbonate
- helping to control blood pressure
Physical and Psychological Side Effects of Dialysis
Patients who undergo dialysis treatment may experience a variety of side effects that can impair both their physical and psychological well-being. Possible physical symptoms of dialysis include pain, shortness of breath, weakness, nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, constipation, sore mouth, bone pain, drowsiness, poor mobility, itching, difficulty sleeping, restless legs, skin changes, diarrhea, infections, and muscle cramps.
Since dialysis treatment is ongoing and typically requires strict management of symptoms, side effects, medication, diet, and physical activity, it can be a very stressful experience for patients. Patients may fear facing lifestyle changes such as losing employment, financial instability, and loss of independence or control over their lives. Such consequences may result in various psychological symptoms including feeling like a burden, rumination (dwelling on the past or negative thoughts), anhedonia (decreased ability to feel pleasure and reduced interest in activities one would normally enjoy), and feelings of anxiety, depression, distress, fear, dread, anger, guilt, shock, denial, and regret.
By improving hemodialysis membrane efficacy, we will reduce the side effects that patients experience and mitigate the negative impact on their quality of life.
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