What is Chronic Kidney Disease? Expert Reveals Major Symptoms, Causes And Preventive Measures

There may be no signs or discomfort for patients who have chronic kidney disease. The kidney-related disease can only be diagnosed through specific blood and urine testing.

Chronic Kidney Disease: The kidneys exert a lot of effort to filter impurities, toxins, and extra fluid. Moreover, they support blood pressure management, promote the generation of red blood cells, maintain bone health, and regulate vital blood molecules. As a result, their proper operation is essential for preserving health. When the kidneys are damaged, they are unable to filter blood as effectively as they should. This condition is known as chronic kidney disease (CKD). Due to this, extra fluid and blood waste build up in the body and may result in various health issues like heart disease and stroke. Dr Rushi Deshpande, Director, Critical Care Nephrology, Sir HN Reliance Hospital shares the major symptoms, common causes and preventive measures for chronic kidney disease.

What are the major symptoms of chronic kidney disease?

Symptoms of chronic kidney disease are nausea, vomiting, swelling of the feet, decreased urine output, breathlessness, and easy fatiguability, and many times patient have no symptoms at all and are detected to have chronic kidney disease during routine check-ups

What are the most common causes of chronic kidney disease?

Diabetic kidney disease is the most common cause of chronic kidney disease followed by hypertensive nephropathy followed by glomerulonephritis followed by tubulointerstitial disease followed by cystic kidney disease. Hence strict blood sugar and blood pressure control are of paramount importance.

What are the various measures for chronic kidney disease?

• Various measures to keep the kidneys healthy are adequate hydration, avoiding the use of painkillers, avoiding homoeopathic and ayurvedic medicines and avoiding aminoglycoside antibiotics.
• Chronic kidney disease can lead to kidney failure and premature cardiovascular disease if it is not addressed. For survival after kidney failure, dialysis or a kidney transplant is required.
• Protein consumption should be between 0.8 and 1 gm per kg per day because consuming too much protein might cause secondary focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis as well as glomerular hyperfiltration.

There are various severity degrees for chronic kidney disease. Even though treatment has been demonstrated to delay progression, it typically gets worse with time.