Early Warning Signs of Kidney Disease You Should Never Ignore

Kidney diseases are gradually becoming an epidemic as the rate at which patients come down with these diseases these days are quite alarming. And the age of onset of kidney (besides those with congenital kidney problems) is gradually approaching that of the working class making a lot of young adults susceptible to these diseases.

A lot of people have been forced to spend their life fortunes on renal replacement therapies, such as dialysis, and very expensive drugs while waiting endlessly in line for a kidney transplant which may never materialize before the disease becomes fatal and the ultimate end comes, that’s even without considering the pains and social alienation associated with the disease.

However, you don’t have to wait to come down with a kidney disease before you know that there are some of your habits that damage the kidneys which you should stop right now – this goes to say that prevention is better than cure.

The second part of the management strategy of kidney diseases is early detection and treatment – these are the best tools for slowing or halting the progression of kidney disease.

The kidneys are very vital organs in the body – they don’t only remove toxic wastes from the body, they also remove excess fluids from the body, regulate blood pressures, maintain the levels of vital nutrients such as calcium, potassium, sodium and phosphate; and also produce red blood cells and contribute to bone strength.

Kidney disease occurs when there are certain conditions in the body which leads to damage of the kidneys, which make them ineffective in performing their vital functions.

Below are early warning signs of kidney diseases which you should never ignore:

Feeling more tired than usual – When the kidneys are functioning properly, they produce a hormone, called erythropoietin, which helps produce red blood cells. Red blood cells help transport oxygen throughout the body, which is vital for energy. If the kidneys are not working as they should, they are not able to produce the proper hormones, and the number of red blood cells decline, leading to a reduction in oxygen flow through the body and loss of energy. This may also cause feeling of dizziness, headaches and inability to concentrate.

Changes in urination – This include changes in urine output which may range from urinating more frequently, including waking up during sleep to urinate, to urinating less often. And when you do urinate, there are other things that might be wrong such as a change in urine color, usually turning darker, or passing blood in urine.

High blood pressure –The relationship between high blood pressure and kidney disease is a vicious cycle: high blood pressure causes damage to blood vessels within the kidneys making the kidneys unable to remove to properly remove sodium and fluids from the body. With the buildup of excess sodium and fluids in the body, blood pressure is raised even further, which then causes even more damage to the kidneys. 

Swelling of face, hands and/or feet – When the kidneys are under stress, they are not able to effectively rid the body of fluids and toxins. These fluids and toxins then gradually accumulate in dependent parts of the body which usually manifest as facial swelling and puffy eyes upon awakening, or swelling of the ankles and feet.

Nausea or vomiting – With the build-up of toxins in the body, with the inability of the kidney to get rid of toxins, the body naturally will want to get rid of these toxins by other means: and one of these is by vomiting or feeling of wanting to vomit (nausea).

Severe itching not related to a bite or rash – Another way the body tries to get rid of accumulated toxins in the blood is by pushing them into the skin. These cause severe itching.

Shortness of breath or feeling that you can’t catch your breath – This is due to accumulation of fluid in the lungs, due to the inability of the kidneys to get rid of the excess fluid in the body, which makes breathing very difficult.

Ammonia breath and metallic taste – When the kidneys are not functioning properly, the level of urea in the blood increases. This urea is broken down to ammonia in the saliva causing urine-like bad breath called ammonia breath. It is also usually associated with an unpleasant metallic taste in the mouth and loss of appetite due to a change in the way foods taste.

Pain in the back or sides – Some cases of kidney disease may cause pain. You may feel a severe cramping pain that spreads from the lower back into the groin if there is a kidney stone in the ureter. 

If you have any of these symptoms, please speak to your doctor about the health of your kidneys to reduce your chance of getting severe kidney problems.

10 Common Habits That Damage the Kidneys

Kidney disease is one of the costliest illnesses in the world and managing kidney disease is very expensive.

Each year, lots of people die of kidney disease all over the world, and the number of people suffering from chronic renal failure, and need dialysis or kidney transplantation to stay alive keep increasing.

Statistics have it that, worldwide, more than millions patients are waiting for kidney transplants, but only a few thousands will receive transplants because of shortage of suitable organ donors.

Patients usually felt surprised when they are diagnosed of Kidney Failure.

Experts have found the explanation from your daily life habits.

Here are the top habits which lead to your kidney failure:

1. Not emptying your bladder early: Maintaining a full bladder for a long time is a quick way of causing bladder damage. That the urine stays in the bladder for a long time can cause the bacteria breeding in urine to multiply quickly. Once the urine refluxes back to ureter and kidneys, the bacteria can result in kidney infections, then urinary tract infection, and then nephritis, even Uremia.
So, no matter how busy you are, remember to drink a lot of water and urinate regularly. Once you form the habit of holding back urine, it will ultimately damage your kidneys.

2. Not drinking enough water: The main functions of the kidneys are to regulate erythrocyte balances and eliminate metabolic wastes in urine. If we do not drink enough water, the blood will be concentrated and the blood flow to the kidney will not be adequate, thus the function of eliminating toxins in from blood will be impaired.

3. Taking too much salt: 95% sodium we consume through food is metabolized by the kidneys. Exceeding the salt intake will make the kidneys work harder to excrete the excess salt and can lead to decreased kidney function. This excess sodium will cause water retention, causing edema. Edema usually elevates blood pressure and increases the risk of developing kidney disease. The daily salt intake should be controlled within 6g per day.

4. Not treating common infections quickly and properly: Common infections, such as pharyngitis, tonsillitis, common cold etc, usually triggers or aggravates kidney damage. They do this by causing an acute attack of acute glomerulonephritis or chronic nephritis. So, you will see that people who get kidney disease for the first time or whose illness condition becomes worse usually present in hospitals with a history of cold or sore throat.
If after having cold, symptoms like blood in urine, swelling, headache, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, poor appetite appear, you should consult your doctor immediately, to assess your kidney functions, and start treatment if compromised.

5. Eating too much meat: Eating too much meat and protein can increase the metabolic load of the kidney. For those suffering from proteinuria, meat consumption too may aggravate protein leakage, worsening renal pathological lesion.
It is suggested that protein intake should be 0.8g/kg per day. This means that a person with 50 kg should consume 40g of protein per day. Meat consumption per day should be limited within 300g.

6. Not eating enough: This is equally as dangerous as eating too much, both of them will lead damages to your digestive organs where is full of mucosal tissues. Mucosal tissues relates closely to your immune system. This is why many kidney failure patients are diagnosed with “autoimmune kidney damages”.

7. Painkiller abuse: The use of analgesics for a prolonged duration may reduce the flow blood and greatly affect kidney function. In addition, patients with analgesic-induced renal failure are more likely to suffer from bladder cancer.
Use analgesics only when it's absolutely necessary, learn to rest instead of taking to the bottles. If you have been on pain killers for a long term, it's about time you had a test to access you renal function done.

8. Missing your drugs: Hypertension and diabetes have been shown to precipitate or accelerate kidney damage, so if you are diagnosed as having any of these disease don't live your life in denial, USE YOUR DRUGS.
This will ultimately help control your condition while also helping to preserve your kidneys.

9. Drinking too much alcohol: Drinking alcohol without limitation may cause the deposition of uric acid in renal tubules, causing tubular obstruction and increasing risks of kidney failure.

10. Not resting enough: In our society, hypertension as a severe threat to life is largely due to stress. A common symptom of stress is insomnia. Blood pressure may increase by an average of 2-5mg/Hg because of insomnia. Chronically elevated blood pressure can cause damage to kidney capillaries giving rise to kidney problems. Thus, we need to develop a good attitude to life and strike a good balance between work and rest to protect your kidneys and live a healthy life.

At the early stage of kidney diseases, there are usually no the special symptoms, so lots of patients are not diagnosed until the acute attack appears or the illness condition develops into the late stage. So you should endeavor to do kidney function test from time to time to assess how healthy your kidneys are.

Never ignore the soreness of waist, swelling of the feet, changes in urine color or volume, increase in night urination, palor, high blood pressure and other such symptoms. Once found, you should go and see your doctor immediately.

Healthy foods for your kidneys

If you assume piling on the pounds, smoking, and suffering from high blood pressure or diabetes will not put your kidney under pressure, think again.

All those health hazards can affect a vital organ, the kidneys. Yet many people are not only unaware of their function and where they are, but also ignorant of how they can help to keep them in tip-top condition.

Statistics show that around one in 10 adults worldwide has some form of kidney damage, while every year millions die prematurely of heart attacks and strokes linked to chronic kidney disease and symptoms often don't become apparent until its later stages, leaving many people unaware of the damage the disease is doing.

The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs located on either sides of the body, just underneath the ribcage. The main job of your kidneys is to maintain a constant environment inside your body by filtering out waste products from the blood before converting it into urine, to help control the levels of salt and potassium in the body.

At each given moment, healthy kidneys ensure that blood levels of water, salts, and other key chemicals are in perfect balance. When they begin to fail, this very precise system starts to fall apart and this is why it is important to look after your kidneys because they work with your heart to control your blood pressure.

Though your two kidneys are each just about the size of your closed fist, they process about 200 quarts of blood per day to make about two litres of urine. To do their work, your kidneys need a constant supply of blood at a normal pressure.  Too little blood or too little pressure can cause acute, sudden kidney failure.  Too much blood or too much pressure can lead to scarring that can cause chronic, permanent kidney disease.

In view of all the major diseases which the kidney suffers from, feasting on a healthy diet has been found by experts to help prevent and cure these diseases.

Eating healthy foods and following a renal diet made up of kidney-friendly foods are important for people with kidney disease because they experience more inflammation and have a higher risk for cardiovascular disease.

Here are kidney-friendly foods with antioxidants that you may want to include in your healthy diet.

1. Onions: Onion, a member of the Allium family and a basic flavouring in many cooked dishes, contains sulfur compounds which give itits pungent smell. But in addition to making you cry, onions are also rich in flavonoids, especially quercetin, a powerful antioxidant that works to reduce heart disease and protects against many cancers.

Onions are low in potassium and a good source of chromium, a mineral that helps with carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism.

For people on a kidney diet looking to add more flavours to foods, try using a variety of onions including white, brown, red and others.

Eat onions raw on burgers, sandwiches and in salads, cook them and use as a caramelized topping or fry them into onion rings.

Include onions in recipes such as Italianbeef with peppers and onions.

2. Cabbage: A cruciferous vegetable, cabbage is packed full of chemical compounds in fruits or vegetables that break up free radicals before they can do damage.

Many of these chemicals are also known to protect against, and fight, cancer as well as foster cardiovascular health.

High in vitamin K, vitamin C and fibre, cabbage is also a good source of vitamin B6 and folic acid.

Low in potassium and lowin cost, it's an affordable addition to the kidney diet.

Raw cabbage makes a great addition to the dialysis diet as coleslaw or topping for fish tacos.

You can steam, microwave or boil it, add butter or cream cheese plus pepper or caraway seeds and serve it as a side dish.

Cabbage rolls made with turkey are a great appetizer, and if you're feeling fancy, you can stuff a cabbage with ground meat and bake it for a flavourful meal bursting with nutrients.

3. Garlic: Garlic helps prevent plaque from forming on your teeth, lowers cholesterol and reduces inflammation.

Buy it fresh, bottled, minced or powdered, and add it to meat, vegetable or pasta dishes.

You can also roast a head of garlic and spread on bread. Garlic provides a delicious flavour andgarlic powder is a great substitute for garlic salt in the dialysis diet.

4. Apples:Apples have been known to reduce cholesterol, prevent constipation, protect against heart disease and reduce the risk of cancer.

High in fibre and anti-inflammatory compounds, an apple a day may really keep the doctor away.

Good news for people with kidney disease who already have their share of doctor visits.

This renal diet winner can be paired with the previous good-for-you food, onions, to make a unique apple onion omelette.

With versatile apples you can eat them raw, make baked apples, stew apples, make them into apple sauce, or use in a dessert such as apple pie or apple cake.

You can also drink them as apple juice or apple cider.

5. Cherries (Udara/Agbalumo: Cherries have been shown to reduce inflammation when eaten daily.

They are also packed with antioxidants and phytochemicals that protect the heart.

Eat fresh cherries as snack, make a cherry pie, cherry coffee cake, cherry crisp or cherry cheese cake.

Cherry sauce can be tasty served with lamb or pork and you can drink a glass of cherry juice.

6. Egg whites: Egg whites are pure protein and provide the highest quality of protein with all the essential amino acids.

For the kidney diet, egg whites provide protein with less phosphorus than other protein sources such as egg yolk or meats.

Buy powdered, fresh or pasteurized egg whites.

Make an omelette or egg white sandwich, add pasteurized egg whites to smoothies or shakes, make deviled egg snacks or add whites of hard boiled eggs to tuna salad or garden salad to add extra protein.

7. Fish: Fish provides high-quality protein and contains anti-inflammatory fats called omega-3s.

The healthy fats in fish help fight diseases such as heart disease and cancer.

Omega-3s also help lower low-density lipoprotein or cholesterol, which is bad cholesterol, and raise high-density lipoprotein or HDL cholesterol, which is good cholesterol.

Dieticians recommend eating fish two or three times a week.

Fish highest in omega-3s include albacore tuna, herring, mackerel, rainbow trout and salmon.

8. Olive oil: Olive oil is a great source of oleic acid, an anti-inflammatory fatty acid.

The monounsaturated fat in olive oil protects against oxidation.

Olive oil is rich in ployphenols and antioxidant compounds that prevent inflammation and oxidation.

Studies show that populations that use large amounts of olive oil instead of other oils have lower rates of heart disease and cancer.

Buy virgin or extra virgin olive oil because they are higher in antioxidants.

Use olive oil to make salad dressing, in cooking, for dipping bread or for marinating vegetables.

9. Disease prevention: Apart from eating a healthy diethere are some other things youcan do:

Keep your blood pressure at the target set by your health care provider.

This can delay or prevent kidney failure.

If you have diabetes, control your blood glucose level.

Keep your cholesterol levels in the target range.

Cutting back on salt and eating more seasonal fruits and vegetables (which are rich in potassium, magnesium and calcium) can significantly lower blood pressure
Choose foods that are healthy for your heart: fresh fruits, fresh or frozen vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods.

Limit your alcohol intake.

Be more physically active.

Lose weight if you are overweight.

If you smoke, take steps to quit. Cigarette smoking can make kidney damage worse.

Ask your doctor to test you for anemia.

Most people who have some level of kidney problem also have anemia, which can be found with a simple blood test.

Sometimes the symptoms of anemia feeling very tired, weak, or cold all the time; fuzzy thinking; pale skin, lips, gums, and nail beds, etc.

These symptoms can come on so slowly that you don't really notice.

If you have anemia, getting treatment can give you more energy and help your kidneys.

Source: The Nations