Chronic kidney diseases - Be very careful

Chronic kidney disease

The most important factor about chronic kidney disease (CKD) is that it has no initial symptoms and that it can take a person in its grip at a younger age as well. The most common and dangerous reason for the disease to occur is lesser water intake and bad eating habits especially the popularity of junk foods. Since there are no initial symptoms of diseases of kidney therefore while a random checkup is conducted for any reasons that only shows signs of kidney problems. Let’s have a look at the reasons for reasons and solutions

Causes

1. Salt is one big reason- You may not believe it that you take salt in excess but if you are in habit of eating Pizza, burger, samosa or other processed food etc multiple times in a day. That is a way of intake of extra amount of salt in your system without you knowing it, which, increase chances of kidney stone (calculi).

2. Lesser intake of water- Another big reason for CKD is ignoring intake of water in proper quantity. Human body of its total weight consists of 60-75% of water as main fraction although reduces slowly as the age grows. Neglecting water is sure way to invite several diseases and CKD is one of them for sure. Therefore, this is good to drink as much water as you can to keep your system clean from toxins.

3. High calorie foods- Fatty and oily foods are sure way to obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure and any of these problems can lead you to kidney problems therefore avoiding high calories can keep you safe from CKD.

Symptoms

As I have stated above that there are no symptoms of CKD, therefore this is advisable to go for a periodical checkup for this killer disease. Here is a list of certain related points, which may give you a slight hint- look for these-

Puffy eyes in the morning right after you wake up
Loss of appetite
Swelling in feet during evenings
Feeling like vomiting or sickness while brushing your teeth in the morning
Tired or exhausted during the day
Going for urination more than thrice during nights is a positive symptom for CKD
Body irritation is another symptom of problems like diabetes therefore taken seriously

Prevention

Keep a bottle of water handy to drink enough water and if you have tendency of forgetting keep many bottles at different places where you go frequently while at work. Do not forget to increase water intake in air-conditioned environment because you loose moisture there easily therefore need more water.
Avoid processed food especially deep fried
Be extra careful about your blood sugar, try to keep it under control
Be careful about your food intake, eat healthy and keep weight under control
As suggested, liquids are useful in keeping your kidneys detoxified therefore drink different liquids as much as possible but keeping your health issues insight.
Avoid alcohol and smoking

Tests required

Blood tests- Tests of blood can detect creatinine and urea to know about abnormalities

Urine tests- Urine test can determine the status of protein in your body that is one remote sign of CKD in certain cases

Renal imaging- this is a combination of X-ray, Ultra-sound and CT scanning that gives you an idea about proper growth of kidney, urinal tract blockage etc.

Misconceptions

1. Most people think that tomato, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower, eggs, milk etc are sure way to have stone in our urinary tract system but that is not true unless you overeat any of these. Suppose you drink 250 ml of milk per day or an egg or two twice a week, these are not going to affect you adversely. As they say, excess of any thing is bad likewise eating any thing in moderation is not going to give you ill effects. Suppose you eat one full bottle of sauce in a day that may harm your health because it takes about 5kgs of tomatoes to prepare a bottle of sauce. (Image source wikipedia)

2. Medicines can take stones out of kidney- If the stones are too small the pressure of water can take stones out of system but in most cases, this is not possible for renal stones. Operation is the only way and with modern technology where you can go for lithotripsy, that crushes the stones within minutes and you walk home to conduct your daily routine jobs almost instantly. Keeping stones in your system for longer time may damage that particular organ therefore, it’s better to have it removed as soon as possible.

3. Never think that you are safe because you are young- That is one of the biggest misconception with CKD, most people with present day life style, polluted water and lack of water intake are suffering from CKD unknowingly. This is better to have a regular checkup to make sure that you do not get it exaggerated due to lack of knowledge or your negligence.

Finally

The main function of your kidney is to keep your system clean by filtering out wastage from your body. Kidneys while flush out toxins from your body at the same time balance hormones and regulate liver and other body functions.

Please note- These are few common tips and should not be taken as professional expertise. Consult your doctor for a thorough checkup before reaching to a conclusion.