Contents:
- Medical Video: Encephalopathy - Causes and Types of Encephalopathy
- What is uremic encephalopathy?
- Signs and symptoms of uremic encephalopathy
- What happens to the body when kidney function decreases?
- Check can be done
- How do you treat uremic encephalopathy?
Medical Video: Encephalopathy - Causes and Types of Encephalopathy
For those of you who have a history of kidney problems, try as much as possible to maintain health and adjust lifestyle so that kidney function remains good. Because the kidney is one of the vital organs of humans. Damage to the kidneys can cause various dangerous complications, one of which is uremic encephalopathy. What are the symptoms and what can be done to overcome the condition? Check the complete information here.
What is uremic encephalopathy?
Uremic encephalopathy is one of the complications that can occur in people who suffer from acute or chronic kidney disorders, where there is a disturbance in the brain, especially when the kidneys' ability to filter toxins in the body decreases and persists (glomerular filtration rate decreases to below 15mL /minute).
Signs and symptoms of uremic encephalopathy
Signs and symptoms that appear vary greatly from mild (feeling weak and tired) to severe (convulsions or coma). The degree of severity of symptoms depends on how quickly kidney function decreases. Therefore these symptoms are usually more severe in people with acute kidney failure.
Mild symptoms that arise:
- Appetite decreases
- Nausea
- Feeling weak and sleepy
- Difficulty concentrating
- Cognitive function slows down (it's hard to think, speak, or make decisions)
Severe symptoms that arise:
- Gag
- Disorientation or daze
- Seizures
- Loss of consciousness
What happens to the body when kidney function decreases?
Every day the body produces a substance called urea. Urea itself is a residual result of protein metabolism which is daily discharged through the kidneys to urine (urine). Urea in normal levels should not cause interference. However, in conditions of kidney problems, urea levels can increase and cause problems or complaints.
When kidney failure occurs, both acute and chronic, urea levels can increase very high because kidney function to remove urea decreases. As a result, there is a buildup of urea in the blood.
When the accumulation of urea inside is sufficiently large to cause symptoms, this is referred to as uremia. Too much urea can cause a disruption of neurotransmitters (natural chemicals) in the brain. One of them is decreasing levels of GABA neurotransmitters (gamma-aminobutyric acid).
This is why kidney problems can have an effect on your body, even in the brain that is located quite far from the kidneys.
Check can be done
To ensure a diagnosis, doctors will usually recommend several laboratory tests such as:
- Examination of kidney function, namely blood urea and creatinine.
- Check blood electrolyte levels to see whether there is an electrolyte disorder or not. This is because electrolyte disorders can also provide symptoms similar to uremic encephalopathy.
- Complete blood examination, to see if there is an increase in white blood cells which is a sign of infection and see if there is anemia.
In addition to the three examinations above, the doctor can also do other examinations according to the results of the examination of each patient.
How do you treat uremic encephalopathy?
After the diagnosis is confirmed, to treat uremic encephalopathy dialysis is needed. The faster the dialysis is done the better results will be.
Ensuring a rapid diagnosis of uremia as a cause of encephalopathy is important because the condition of the patient can recover quickly from symptoms if dialysis is performed.
In addition to dialysis, depending on the results of a doctor's examination, you may also need a blood transfusion if the hemoglobin level is low.
