Contents:
- Medical Video: Stages of Kidney Disease
- What causes acute kidney injury?
- What causes chronic kidney disease?
Medical Video: Stages of Kidney Disease
The kidneys are two organs located in your abdominal cavity on both sides of the spine in the middle of your back, just above the waist. They do a number of roles in maintaining life: They cleanse your blood by removing waste and excess fluids, maintaining the balance of salt and minerals in your blood, and helping to regulate blood pressure.
When the kidneys become damaged, waste products and fluids can accumulate in the body, causing swelling in your ankles, vomiting, weakness, lack of sleep, and shortness of breath. If left untreated, a diseased kidney may eventually stop functioning completely. Loss of kidney function is a serious and potentially fatal condition.
Healthy kidneys have certain functions, namely:
- Maintain water balance and concentration of minerals, such as sodium, potassium, and phosphorus, in your blood.
- Dispose of product waste from the blood after digestion, muscle activity, and exposure to chemicals or drugs.
- Produces renin, an enzyme that helps regulate blood pressure.
- Produces erythropoietin, which stimulates the production of red blood cells.
- Produces an active form of vitamin D, which is needed for bone health.
What causes acute kidney injury?
Sudden loss of kidney function is called acute kidney injury. Acute kidney injury has three main causes:
- Lack of blood flow to the kidneys.
- Direct damage to the kidney itself.
- Urinary blockage of the kidneys.
Common causes include:
- Trauma injury with blood loss.
- Dehydration.
- Kidney damage due to shock during severe infections called sepsis.
- Obstruction of urine flow, such as with enlarged prostate.
- Damage from certain drugs or toxins.
- Pregnancy complications, such as eclampsia and pre-eclampsia, or related to HELLP syndrome.
Marathon runners and other athletes who do not drink enough fluids when competing with long duration may suffer from acute kidney failure due to sudden damage to muscle tissue. This muscle damage releases large amounts of protein into the bloodstream called myoglobin which can damage the kidneys.
What causes chronic kidney disease?
Kidney damage and decreased function lasting more than 3 months is called chronic kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease is very dangerous, because you may not have any symptoms until it eventually becomes severe. Often, when treated, kidney damage has already occurred. Diabetes (types 1 and 2) and high blood pressure are the most common causes of chronic kidney disease. Other causes are:
- Conditions of the immune system such as lupus and chronic viral diseases such as HIV / AIDS, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C.
- Urinary tract infections in the kidney itself, called pyelonephritis, can cause injury during recovery of infection. Some episodes can cause kidney damage.
- Inflammation of small filters (glomeruli) in the kidneys; this can happen after strep infection and other conditions for which the cause is unknown.
- Polycystic kidney disease, in which fluid-filled cysts form in the kidneys over time. This is the most common form of kidney disease derivatives.
- Congenital defects, present at birth, result from urinary tract obstruction or malformations that affect the kidneys; the most common one involves a valve-like mechanism between the bladder and urethra. This defect, sometimes found when the baby is still in the womb, can often be repaired surgically by a urologist.
- Drugs and poisons, including long-term exposure to some drugs and chemicals, such as NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen, and intravenous use of "street" drugs.
The final stage of kidney disease occurs when about 90 percent of kidney function is lost. People with kidney failure may experience nausea, vomiting, weakness, fatigue, confusion, difficulty concentrating, and loss of appetite. This can be diagnosed with a blood and urine test.
