Kidney Disease

Pediatric Kidney Disease Symptoms

April 25, 2016 3:32 pm

tPediatric Kidney Disease Symptoms

How Aware Are You?

Can you spot pediatric kidney disease symptoms? Children are not as aware of their bodies as adults are. In fact, they may not readily recognize potential health threats as they happen. Because of this, diseases and health issues can go unnoticed for a long period of time. This includes Kidney Failure.

This, however, doesn’t always have to be the case. For pediatric kidney disease, here are a few of the symptoms you can watch out for:

Changes in your child’s urinating pattern. He may start to have bed wetting episodes despite being able to use the bathroom independently.
Symptoms of flu, including nausea, vomiting and weakness. He may even show poor appetite.
Poor performance at school
Difficulty concentrating in academic activities
Swelling marked by indentation from socks and belt
Inability to freely move around due to swelling of extremities
High blood pressure
Headache
Visible changes in his urine’s color, smell and transparency. It can even be blood-tinged in some cases.
Slower growth compared to peers
Palpable mass
Pale skin
Bad breathe
Poor muscle tone

Aside from these manifestations, kidney diseases in children can also cause the following concerns:

Learning problems
Behavioral issues
Relationship conflicts
Negative self-image
Delayed development of both language and motor skills

There are a lot of reasons why pediatric kidney diseases develop. In fact, it doesn’t necessarily have to always be due to an infection. Some kidney diseases can happen due to trauma, birth defects or systemic diseases. They can also be due to a blockage in the tract that causes a reflux of urine to the kidneys. Some cases result from exposure to harmful and toxic substances, such as heavy metals, nephrotoxic medications, and toxic solvents.

If you have a genetic predisposition to kidney disease, it’s best if you can get your child checked right away. Urine and blood tests are two of the most common diagnostic methods your doctor can order for your child. If a blockage is suspected, he may also order for an X-ray or an ultrasound. He may also order for a bone scan and ECG to determine possible complications as well.

Aside from these methods, establishing awareness in your child can also help with early detection. Explaining kidney disease to children doesn’t have to be extremely detailed or complicated. In fact, you can simply go through the list of things he should tell you in case he feels something weird from his body, such as feeling hotter than usual or any presence of pain. Children may not be as aware as adults are, but it doesn’t mean they can’t be taught how to listen to their bodies, or even their kidneys, at an early stage. Keep an eye out for these issues if you suspect pediatric kidney diseases.

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7 Kidney Disease Symptoms

April 11, 2016 11:34 pm

7 Kidney Disease Symptoms

At Risk? You Should Pay More Attention These Risks

Here are 7 kidney disease symptoms you should be aware of. Kidney disease is often considered as a silent but deadly condition. Most patients were only able to realize that they have the illness during its most severe stages. Because of this, some patients fail to fully recover.

If you know that you’re at risk for the disease, it’s critical that you know its symptoms. Recognizing kidney disease at its early stage will help avoid progression and even complications.

Change in the characteristics of your urine.

The first yet most subtle symptom of renal disease is the change in urinary frequency. You’ll notice this more during the night. Aside from frequency, a change in color, smell, and even transparency can also signal a possible renal disease.

Frequent feeling of exhaustion.

When your kidneys fail to produce erythropoietin, your cells become deprived of the oxygen they need to function effectively. As a result, you get tired and exhausted more easily. Your brain also suffers when there’s not enough oxygen. You’ll experience episodes of confusion and inability to fully concentrate.

Ammonia-like breath.

Once your kidneys become damaged, they become ineffective in filtering out waste products in your body. Because of this, toxins get trapped and accumulate. One of these toxins is urea, which gets broken down by your saliva into ammonia. Other than making your breath smell like urine, it can also affect your sense of taste.

People with kidney disease often have episodes of nausea and vomiting. Over time, these two things can lead to a loss of appetite and nutrition. Aside from these factors, your altered sense of taste can also discourage you from eating.

Shortness of breath.

Damaged kidneys become incapable of filtering out and removing excess fluid in the body. While it can initially affect your extremities and abdomen, fluid can also infiltrate and build up in your lungs which can make breathing a lot difficult for you.

Flank pain.

One of the earliest signs of kidney disease is flank pain. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most commonly missed indicators. Flank pain is described as that dull cramping pain that radiates from your lower back to your abdominal area. It can signal the presence of stones or an inherited renal disease.

Feeling cold.

There are two things that can cause chills in people with kidney disease. The first one involves anemia where the body doesn’t have enough erythropoietin to supply oxygen to its cells. The other factor involves the presence of infection which is usually caused by the presence of stones, cysts or blockages. If the infection is too severe, it can also cause night sweats accompanied by chills. Learn and watch out for these 7 Kidney Disease Symptoms.

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What Is Renal Disease?

March 28, 2016 3:22 pm

What Is Renal Disease?

6 Things You May Not Know About It

Many people never know their kidneys are failing. They may ask what is renal disease, but often, they ask the question too late. It is why this is a silent and deadly disease.

Kidney disease is a medical term that encompasses a lot of problems involving your renal tract. It can result in fluid buildup, swelling, shortness of breath and ineffective waste removal. When not addressed properly, it can cause your kidneys to stop working.

1. There are two main types of renal disease

Acute renal disease happens due to three main causes:

When there’s not enough blood circulating in your renal tract
If there’s direct damage to the kidneys
If the normal flow of the urine is disrupted

Chronic renal disease, on the other hand, happens when the kidneys are not working well for more than three months. Because most cases of renal diseases are subtle, patients only become aware that they have renal problems once symptoms become apparent.

2. At least 26 million American adults have chronic kidney disease.

Women are particularly vulnerable to the disease. However, it can still affect any gender at any age. With regards to race and ethnicity, South Americans, Native Americans and African-Americans are the most pre-disposed ones.

3. Two of the most common causes of renal disease are diabetes and high blood pressure.

Other factors include auto-immune diseases, including lupus, inflammation of the kidneys as well as renal stones. Recurrent urinary tract infections and malformations in the structures of the renal tract can also cause renal diseases.

4. Blood and urine tests are necessary to check for kidney diseases.

A patient’s creatinine level is a good indication on how well his kidneys are working. If the level of creatinine goes higher than the normal range, it means that the organ is no longer effective in doing its job. Aside from this, Glomerular Filtration Rate also needs to be checked.

5. There is no known cure to chronic kidney diseases but there are treatments available to limit progression of symptoms.

Diet modification is usually the first thing your doctor will do, particularly if you are still in the early stages of the disease. If the condition becomes severe, you may need to undergo dialysis to remove the toxins inside your body. In case dialysis isn’t able to halt the progression, a renal transplant may be necessary.

6. Kidney diseases can be prevented.

Although there are factors, such as genetics, that can inevitably predispose you to acquiring renal diseases, it doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything to limit your risk. In fact, weight loss, reduction in sugar intake as well as regular blood pressure monitoring are found helpful among predisposed individuals. There are also screening tests and risk factor assessments which your doctor can discuss with you in case you want to know what preventive measures you can take to avoid kidney diseases.

What Is Renal Disease? If you suspect that you have a kidney infection consult your health care professional right away.

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Kidney Disease

August 4, 2015 8:52 pm

Kidney Disease

When talking about kidney disease, let us first dissect the most important organ that is involved: the kidney.

The kidneys are the 2 bean-shaped organs of the body that are part of the urinary system. This system is also composed of the bladder, ureters and urethra. These are all located at the upper abdominal cavity. The main function of the urinary system is to remove unwanted waste from the body and balance necessary fluids.

Are you interested in learning how to post your story as you wait for a kidney transplant? You can do so at our website. A live kidney donation is your best bet.

Main Role:

The main role of the kidneys is to flush out waste and surplus liquid that is accumulated in the body and maintain adequate levels of vitamins and minerals. Other uses of the kidneys involves removing harmful drugs from the body, balance fluids, release hormones for blood pressure, normalize red blood cell production and produce vitamin D. In summary, the kidney maintains the liquid flow of the human body every single day.

Research shows that kidney disease happens when the nephrons in the kidney are damaged. Nephrons are filtering units inside the kidney that regulate distribution of water, salt and absorb important nutrients in the body. The rest of the liquid waste is released from the body through the form of urine.

Kidney Disease-Basic Signs and Symptoms:

There are certain signs to watch out for when the doubt of having kidney disease. An example would be high blood pressure in which blood is fiercely pushed against the arteries which will cause health complications. Another possible sign is having blood in the urine. This can be an indication that your body is losing amounts of protein. Constant urinary tract infection incidents can also be a hint of if kidney disease. Unstable urination which is painful can also be associated.

Treatment For Kidney Disease

There are two treatment options for patients with kidney disease. The first can be dialysis. This is the artificial removal of waste products from the body with a use of a filtration machine that is attached to the urinary system. Another form of kidney disease treatment would be a kidney transplant. This is basically the reassignment of a kidney from a donor to the patient’s renal system.

Having kidney disease is not easy and not every patient who undergo the treatment options come out successful in their battles. It is important to keep in mind that prevention is always better than cure. Losing a main bodily organ may cost a life. It is best to keep the life borrowed healthy and strong. This is an imperative reminder to those who disregard a healthy lifestyle and think of it as passé or unimportant.

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Kidney Failure Defined

July 27, 2015 6:47 pm

Kidney Failure Defined

Kidney failure is medically known as renal failure. This is the condition of the kidney wherein it could not dutifully fulfil its function in the human body. The kidney could no longer filter wastes of the blood and you may need a transplant from a live kidney donation.

2. Classifications of Kidney Failure:

Acute Kidney Injury – the classification that causes a rapid loss of kidney functions. Some patients suffer kidney breakdown just within week or less. This may instantly lead to cardiac arrest. Common causes could be dehydration and nephrotoxic drugs that were not properly taken in by the body after a surgery.

Chronic Kidney Disease – unlike acute kidney injury, this classification describes the steady loss of kidney functions. This also results in the kidney excreting red blood cells and protein instead of waste products.

Common symptoms include an increase in blood pressure, potassium accumulation in the blood stream and iron deficiency anemia. Another complication that is cause by Chronic Kidney Disease is sexual dysfunction.

Having kidney failure can later cause damage to either the skeletal or circulatory system. A simple explanation of how it can be a threat to the skeletal process is because having kidney failure may lower the proper distribution of calcium in the body. The other possible complication is leading to cardiac arrest.

There are two most common treatments for kidney failure: kidney dialysis or kidney transplant. Kidney Dialysis uses filtration machines and procedures which are done regularly in clinics and hospitals. This also involves a strict diet plan to avoid further complications. There are also some patients who do their own dialysis at home in which a medical practitioner shall give clearance for. The later procedure on the other hand involves replacing the kidney with a new one from a donor. A benefit of kidney transplant, aside from having a new kidney, is having a functional internal filtration system with a chance of living a normal life again, although a meal schedule shall also be followed, a drastic change in lifestyle is not required.

Kidney failure is not perceived as many to be a serious body malfunction but what the common public do not know is that this can be a cause of death. Kidney failure can lead to the body’s incapability to remove potassium from the bloodstream that may result in a stroke. This is not something to be ignored, if signs and symptoms of constant energy level decrease appear, it is best to go through a complete check up at your local hospital or clinic. Prevention is always better than cure.

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Kidney Failure Changes Life

May 18, 2015 10:13 pm

Kidney Failure Changes Life

If you find yourself suddenly in Kidney Failure, you will soon discover that kidney failure changes life dramatically. Your energy level will drop and your emotional well-being may be subject to very large swings between low and very low. Your appetite will fade as your diet is adjusted and you will discover that your body just doesn’t respond like it once did.

When the kidneys quit functioning, the body has no way to remove the waste and buildup that was once removed by urine. The doctors will no doubt want you to limit your intake of fluids and other ingredients that contain sodium, phosphates and potassium, will have to be monitored very carefully.

This protocol is necessary to minimize the role and effects non-functioning kidneys now play in your health. Once able to create urine, monitor blood pressure and keep the heart beat in sync, kidneys that are not functioning mean the body will have to rely on artificial means to regulate very serious and important bodily functions.

I think, for our family anyway, the most crucial aspect of kidney failure was diet. It may be that our son was quite young at the time, but watching a 24- year-old man unable to eat, incapable of even regular activities, was difficult to witness. A special Kidney diet was introduced, one without the normal minerals and vitamins most healthy people require.

There were no leafy greens due to the high potassium. Corn products were eliminated as were potatoes unless they were leeched overnight. Tomatoes were out the window, which included spaghetti dinners. No grains for us. White rice and pasta were the carb of choice.

Now that we have a successful kidney transplant we can look back on the difficulties we faced. What we see and remember is not so much the sacrifice, but the hope we shared. The conviction that a kidney transplant was inevitable and each family member worked toward that goal.

We knew that a restricted diet was temporary and we understood that weakness and inactivity were only a pause for us. We fought through despair and found our courage and now live life by giving back to the kidney community. We are trying to help kidney failure patients with the launch of this website so that they too can remain hopeful. It can be done, but you must stay strong and believe. Don’t let kidney failure change your life.

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Kidney Transplant List

January 7, 2015 10:15 pm

Kidney Transplant List

The Kidney Transplant List is a long list. Ideally, a kidney failure patient needs to transplant his damaged kidney within 6 months of dialysis.

Due lack of available kidneys, however, more likely you will not receive a kidney donation within the required time unless a family member or friend who has a similar tissue type as you is willing to make a living donation. The stark reality is the number of deceased from that list. While waiting, 14 people will die each day waiting for a kidney. This staggering news will serve to alert us that Live Kidney Donations are the only option in order to mitigate this growing problem.

The majority of people with kidney failure will need dialysis while they wait for a donated kidney to become available. Typically, a person spends time on the waiting list for a kidney transplant about three years, but a tremendous lack of supply has made this list very long and waiting eight years is not uncommon.

The patient with rare blood groups or tissue types needs to wait longer.

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