Symptoms of Kidney Disease

Be kind to your kidneys

Your kidneys are probably one of the hardest-working organs in your body. They cleanse your blood, maintain your salt and mineral balance, control your pH balance and regulate your blood pressure. And that’s just before lunch!

They also stimulate red blood cell production and produce an active form of vitamin D, which you need for good bone health. What your kidneys ask of you in return is that you look after them, drink a sufficient amount of water every day and cut back on salt and toxins like caffeine, smoking and alcohol.

Symptoms of kidney disease

Forewarned is forearmed –it is hard to detect early on if your kidneys are not functioning properly.That is why most doctors recommend regular physicals, blood tests and urine tests. These test results may detect kidney disease even when you are feeling well, which only means that doctors can adopt a more proactive treatment programme.

Fluid retention– if the kidney produces less urine, it can cause extra fluid to build up in the body. Typical symptoms include swollen hands and ankles and an unexplained weight gain or shortness of breath.

Anaemia –when your kidneys are malfunctioning, your body doesn’t produce as many red blood cells, which causes anaemia. Typical symptoms include feeling weak, cold and tired.

Toxic build up –when your kidneys are not working to clean your blood, toxins build up in your body causing fatigue and loss of appetite. It may even make your skin feel itchy.

Looking at an increasingly common problem: kidney stones

In South Africa, kidney failure is often due to inherited high blood pressure (60% to 65%) or Type 2 diabetes (20% to 25%). Kidney stones is an increasing cause of kidney disease.

What are kidney stones?

Your urine maintains a balance of water, salts and minerals. When this balance is disrupted, some substances inyour urine crystallise and join together to form stones. These kidney stones can be as small as grains of sand or as large and painful as pebbles, especially when they travel through the urinary tract. Not drinking enough water or over-indulging in alcohol, salts and fatty foods could cause kidney stones.

What are the symptoms and treatments?

Kidney stones mostly don’t cause any pain while they are still in the kidneys, but they can become very painful when they travel from your kidneys to your bladder.

If you suddenly feel a severe pain in your side, belly or if your urine looks slightly pink or red, this might mean you have kidney stones. With most small stones, taking pain medicine and drinking enough fluids will be enough to help relieve the pain and the stones.

If the pain is too severe or the stones are blocking the urinary tract, the stones can be treated with Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL). This treatment uses shock waves to break the kidney stone into small pieces, which then pass in your urine.

Factors that increase the likelihood of kidney stones

·  Age– kidney stones are more common in people between 30 and 50.

·  Gender– men get kidney stones twice as often as women.

·  Inherited– a family history of kidney stones is common. Consult your parents and grandparents to see if kidney stones are prevalent in your family.

·  Obesity– being overweight can lead to insulin resistance and increased calcium in the urine, putting you at greater risk for kidney stones.

·  Postmenopausal women– low oestrogen levels and women who have had their ovaries removed are at an increased risk for kidney stones.

·  High salt and low fluid intake

Keeping your kidneys healthy and happy

The more toxins you take in, the harder your kidneys have to work to cleanse your blood. Give your kidneys a break by adding exercise to your daily routine and these tips to your daily diet.

Enjoy more:

·  Water

·  Fruit and vegetables

·  Legumes and wholegrain breads and rice

Cut down on:

·  Alcohol

·  Salt

·  Saturated fats like chicken skin, fat on meat and dairy fat

·  Sugar

·  Caffeine and carbonated sugar drinks

·  Smoking

Top tip:An easy way to make sure you are drinking enough water is to check the colour of your urine. If your urine is a light yellow or clear then you are well hydrated. If not, then you probably need to add a glass or three to your daily intake.

References

·  National Kidney Foundation:www.nkf.org.za

·  University of Maryland Medical Centre: mm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/kidney-stones