Nephrology: Symptoms, Disease, Diagnosis & Treatment | Narayana Health (2023)

FAQs

What are the 3 early warning signs of kidney disease? ›

The main test for kidney disease is a blood test. The test measures the levels of a waste product called creatinine in your blood. Your doctor uses your blood test results, plus your age, size, gender and ethnic group to calculate how many millilitres of waste your kidneys should be able to filter in a minute.

Usually a creatinine level more than 1.2 for women and more than 1.4 for men may be a sign that the kidneys are not working like they should. If your serum creatinine test results are higher than normal, your doctor may want to run other tests.

When kidneys are failing, the increased concentration and accumulation of substances in urine lead to a darker color which may be brown, red or purple. The color change is due to abnormal protein or sugar, high levels of red and white blood cells, and high numbers of tube-shaped particles called cellular casts.

If you feel the need to urinate more often, especially at night, this can be a sign of kidney disease. When the kidneys filters are damaged, it can cause an increase in the urge to urinate. Sometimes this can also be a sign of a urinary infection or enlarged prostate in men. You see blood in your urine.

The two most common conditions that affect your kidneys are diabetes and high blood pressure. A balanced diet and regular exercise can help keep both under control. With diabetes, it's also important to keep a close eye on your blood sugar and take insulin when you need it.

Stage 3 of CKD

You may begin to have symptoms, such as feeling weak and tired or swelling in your hands or feet.

There's no cure for chronic kidney disease (CKD), but treatment can help relieve the symptoms and stop it getting worse. Your treatment will depend on the stage of your CKD. The main treatments are: lifestyle changes – to help you stay as healthy as possible.

They work to treat conditions such as chronic kidney disease, kidney infections, and kidney failure. Your primary care doctor will likely refer you to a nephrologist if you have a complex or advanced kidney condition that requires the care of a specialist.

What part of the body is nephrology? ›

Sometimes called renal medicine, nephrology is a specialty within the internal medicine field related to kidney care. It is often connected with hypertension or high blood pressure. Nephrologists are medical professionals who diagnose, treat, and manage acute and chronic kidney problems and diseases.

A creatinine level of greater than 1.2 for women and greater than 1.4 for men may be an early sign that the kidneys are not working properly. As kidney disease progresses, the level of creatinine in the blood rises.

N-acetylcysteine has been reported to lower serum creatinine in normal individuals.

However, we know that GFR physiologically decreases with age, and in adults older than 70 years, values below 60 mL/min/1.73 m² could be considered normal.

Egg whites provide a high quality, kidney-friendly source of protein. Plus, they're an excellent choice for people undergoing dialysis treatment, who have higher protein needs but need to limit phosphorus.

Kidney-friendly foods

Fruit: apples, cranberries, grapes, pineapple, and strawberries. Vegetables: cauliflower, lettuce, onions, peppers, and radishes.

To get the best health benefits, be sure to choose 100% organic water-based cranberry juice. So how does cranberry juice help? It can prevent bacteria from sticking to the walls of your kidneys, which helps prevent an infection from forming in the first place.

Itching with kidney disease can be generalized, or it can occur in specific parts of the body. Common areas for this type of itching include the head, arms, back, and abdomen. It also tends to be worse at night, which can disturb your sleep.

An occasional clear pee isn't a big deal. But if it's an ongoing issue you may be lowering salt and electrolyte levels below what your body needs. What if your urine is clear and you're not knocking back glass after glass of water? That may signal an underlying kidney problem or diabetes.

If your urine is cloudy, brown, blue, or green and doesn't return to a pale straw color, schedule an appointment to speak with a doctor.

Can kidney problems affect your legs? ›

Your kidneys remove extra fluids and salt from your body. When they can no longer do this, the fluids and salt build up in your body. This build-up causes swelling, which you may notice in your: Legs.

Most street drugs, including heroin, cocaine and ecstasy can cause high blood pressure, stroke, heart failure and even death, in some cases from only one use. Cocaine, heroin and amphetamines also can cause kidney damage.

Milk, yogurt, and cheese can be part of a healthy kidney diet. Shop for natural cheeses, avoiding items labeled “cheese food” or “cheese product.” Greek yogurt and cottage cheese can be easy and tasty snacks, and, in most cases, milk servings should be 1 cup per day.

Avoid fruit juices and other sugar-sweetened beverages if you have kidney disease and diabetes. These drinks tend to be high in added sugar that can cause rapid spikes in blood sugar.

Chronic kidney disease occurs when a disease or condition impairs kidney function, causing kidney damage to worsen over several months or years. Diseases and conditions that cause chronic kidney disease include: Type 1 or type 2 diabetes. High blood pressure.

Created: March 8, 2018; Next update: 2021. Chronic kidney disease usually progresses slowly. Blood and urine tests can help doctors to decide whether the kidneys are still working well enough or whether dialysis will be needed soon, for example.

Kidney diseases happen when your kidneys are damaged and can't filter your blood. The damage can happen quickly – when it's caused by injury or toxins – or, more commonly, over months or years.

While it's not possible to reverse kidney damage, you can take steps to slow it down. Taking prescribed medicine, being physically active, and eating well will help. You'll also feel better and improve your overall well-being.

Many people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are able to live long lives without being unduly affected by the condition. Although it's not possible to repair damage that has already happened to your kidneys, CKD will not necessarily get worse.

Each person's medical status is unique. People with kidney failure may survive days to weeks without dialysis, depending on the amount of kidney function they have, how severe their symptoms are, and their overall medical condition. Is death from kidney failure painful? Not usually.

What happens at your first visit to a nephrologist? ›

Your nephrologist will review your medical history, and do a complete physical exam to determine how your kidneys are functioning. Your nephrologist will order blood and urine tests and a diagnostic imaging of your kidneys may also be required.

In the United States, diabetes and high blood pressure are the leading causes of kidney failure, accounting for 3 out of 4 new cases.

A nephrologist is a medical doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating kidney conditions. You should see a nephrologist if you have any signs of kidney disease or other conditions that may damage your kidneys.

The nephrologist will check your heart condition, lung condition, and look for swelling in your lower extremities or your face. Your nephrologist may recommend that you undergo laboratory tests and/or scans, like a blood test, urine test, or kidney ultrasound, depending on your condition.

For many students during medical school, nephrology is a complex and difficult course, which may lead them to not consider the field when selecting a specialty. Jhaveri et al. [18] reported, among US fellows, that 31% of respondents indicated nephrology as the most difficult physiology course during medical school.

Several drugs, such as cimetidine, trimethoprim, corticosteroids, pyrimethamine, phenacemide, salicylates and active vitamin D metabolites, have been reported to increase plasma creatinine without influencing its glomerular filtration.

Usually, when the creatinine clearance falls to 10-12 cc/minute, the patient needs dialysis.

In many cases, medications can help resolve high creatinine levels by treating the condition that's causing the increase. Some examples include antibiotics for a kidney infection or medications that help control high blood pressure.

What vitamins are good for creatinine levels? ›

Special renal vitamins are usually prescribed to kidney patients to provide the extra water soluble vitamins needed. Renal vitamins contain vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12, folic acid, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin and a small dose of vitamin C.

Most of these studies have been cross-sectional and have rather uniformly shown that the GFR declines steadily with aging, beginning at age 30–40 years, with an apparent acceleration in the rate of decline after age 65–70 years (^6–9).

Avoid processed foods and choose fresh fruits and vegetables instead. Follow a low-salt diet. Salt should be limited especially if you have high blood pressure, protein in your urine, or swelling, or difficulty breathing. Eating less than 2000 mg a day of sodium is recommended.

A GFR of 60 or higher is in the normal range. A GFR below 60 may mean kidney disease. A GFR of 15 or lower may mean kidney failure.

Nausea and vomiting, muscle cramps, loss of appetite, swelling via feet and ankles, dry, itchy skin, shortness of breath, trouble sleeping, urinating either too much or too little.

Conditions that can be mistaken for kidney stones, sharing similar symptoms: Appendicitis or lower back pain. Urinary tract infection (UTI) Stomach flu or virus.

Kidney failure is a condition in which one or both of your kidneys no longer work on their own. Causes include diabetes, high blood pressure and acute kidney injuries. Symptoms include fatigue, nausea and vomiting, swelling, changes in how often you go to the bathroom and brain fog.

Can you live with kidney disease without knowing? ›

Many people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) will not have symptoms because it does not usually cause problems until it reaches an advanced stage.

If you choose to start dialysis treatment, stage 5 kidney disease life expectancy is five to 10 years on average, though some patients have lived on dialysis for 20 years or more. If you have a kidney transplant, a living donor kidney can function for 12 to 20 years, and a deceased donor kidney for 8 to 12 years.

Symptoms of CKD

There are usually no symptoms of kidney disease in the early stages. It may only be diagnosed if you have a blood or urine test for another reason and the results show a possible problem with your kidneys.

His doctor explained that kidney disease in its early stages does not cause symptoms. “Kidney disease doesn't affect your ability to make urine in its early stages, David,” she said. She told him, “In fact, a person can lose a lot of kidney function before symptoms of kidney disease occur.” “But I don't feel any pain.

Kidney pain, or renal pain, is usually felt in your back (under the ribs, to the right or left of the spine). It can spread to other areas, like the sides, upper abdomen or groin. If you have a kidney stone, you usually feel the pain in your back, side, lower belly or groin.

Kidney pain — also called renal pain — refers to pain from disease or injury to a kidney. You might feel kidney pain or discomfort as a dull, one-sided ache in your upper abdomen, side or back.

lower back pain or flank pain. fatigue or weakness. swelling, especially in your hands or feet, or under your eyes. a bad taste in your mouth, or food doesn't taste good.

It was thought that kidney cells didn't reproduce much once the organ was fully formed, but new research shows that the kidneys are regenerating and repairing themselves throughout life. Contrary to long-held beliefs, a new study shows that kidneys have the capacity to regenerate themselves.