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Kidney Failure: – If functioning of one Kidney out of our two Kidneys is affected due to Kidney stone or any Kidney disorder then the other Kidney can manage its work for sufficient time. But when both the Kidneys are affected and Kidneys lose their ability to perform normal functions partly or completely then it is known as Kidney Failure or Renal Failure.

There are two types of Kidney Failure:-

1. Acute Kidney Failure or Acute Renal Failure
2. Chronic kidney Failure or Chronic Renal Failure

1. Acute Kidney Failure or Acute Renal Failure:- Acute Kidney Failure or Acute Renal Failure is a rapid loss of renal functions of kidneys. It occurs suddenly.
 
Causes

(a) Decrease in blood flow going to the Kidneys and Kidneys receive insufficient blood for filtration, which may be due to following conditions:-

(i) Dehydration
(ii) Sudden drop in blood pressure due to heavy loss of blood, severe burns
(iii) Poor heart function or heart failure
(iv) Liver failure

(b) Obstruction in flow of urine outside Kidneys as for example: – Kidney Stone, enlarged prostate, bladder cancer etc.

(c) Causes include those which affect filtering function of Kidneys, Kidney tissues and cells, interrupt blood supply within the kidney. For example: Glomerulonephritis, Injury to cells and tissues of kidney, Acute tubular necrosis etc.

2. Chronic Kidney Failure or Renal Failure: – Chronic Kidney Failure or Renal Failure is a slow and gradual loss of Kidney functions over a long period usually months and years. In Chronic Kidney Failure , kidneys are affected slowly and slowly, functioning of kidneys gradually deteriorates which may lead to permanent loss of kidney functions in the long run.

Most common causes of Chronic Kidney Failure are high blood pressure and diabetes. Persons having high blood pressure or diabetes should be cautious.

Polycystic Kidney disease can also cause Chronic Kidney Failure.

Underlying causes of Kidney Failure should be identified whether it is due to insufficient blood flow to the Kidneys or due to obstruction in urine flow along the urinary tract or due to damage to the Kidneys.

Blood tests and urine tests should be done. Blood tests to measure the level of creatinine and urea are needed to confirm the diagnosis. Higher level of creatinine indicates the decline in glomerular function rate i.e. the decrease in the capacity of filtration function of Kidneys and also indicates how severe the Kidney failure is.

To detect obstruction of the urinary tract, ultrasonography of the renal tract is needed. Dialysis is needed for waste removal.

With appropriate treatment at the initial stage, Acute Kidney failure is often reversible.

But in case where the Kidneys are too badly damaged to recover then Acute Kidney Failure may progress to Chronic.

Severity of Kidney Failure or Renal Failure depends upon the causes. In future some patients may not regain full renal function and may reach end stage of renal failure. They will require life long dialysis or Kidney transplantation.

Symptoms of Kidney Failure: – 1) Decrease in urine production or stoppage in urine production.
2) Swelling of legs, ankles.
3) Retention of fluid in other parts of the body.
4) Vomiting, Nausea.
5) Loss of appetite.
6) Weight loss.
7) Fatigue etc.

Kidney Stones: – Kidney stones are hard substances like stones and their size may vary from the size of a sand grain to the size of a golf ball.
     Kidney Stones are formed due to deposit of crystals of calcium phosphate, calcium oxalate type of calcium salts, uric acid etc.

Symptoms: – Severe pain in abdomen, scanty urination with pain. Sometimes coming of blood with urine, vomiting – nausea etc.

Polycystic Kidney Disease: – In this disease a number of cysts filled with fluid are grown in the Kidneys. This disease is an inherited disease.

Renal tubular acidosis: – Normally Kidneys excrete acids but when they fail to excrete acids into the urine then renal tubular acidosis occurs. Blood of the patient becomes acidic.

Glomerulonephritis: – The filtration system in the Kidney known as ‘glomeruli’ may be damaged due to infection or other disease.
                        Glomerulonephritis is the inflammation of the filtration system which can damage Kidney function.

By: S.N.Bhattacharya

Now- a days a lot of people are suffering from kidney disease and their numbers are increasing day by day. These days many of us are acquainted with words like – Kidney stone, Renal failure, Kidney transplantation, Dialysis etc. Kidney disease has reached in an alarming situation now a days. Our modern lifestyle is much more responsible for creating problems of kidneys. Persons having high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, having habits of eating junk food and taking excessive pain killer medicines have high risk.
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Before knowing about diseases of kidney we should know about kidneys – what are kidneys? What are their functions? Etc.

Kidneys are a pair of bean shaped vital organs of our body; each is about the size of a fist and are located on either side of the spine at the bottom of the rib cage above our waist. The right kidney lies a little bit lower than the left kidney.

Kidneys act as filters. Blood is filtered in kidneys. Functional units of kidneys are called nephrons. There are about one million nephrons in each kidney. Nephron consists of a filtering unit of small blood vessels (capillary network) known as ‘glomerulus’. Glomerulus is attached to a tubule, a tiny urine collecting tube.

In glomerulus blood is filtered and the remaining fluid flows to the tubule, and after complicated exchange the filtered fluid is converted into urine which we excrete.

Function of kidneys:-

Main function of kidney is to bring out waste products of body metabolism and extra water from blood in the form of urine.

Other functions of kidneys are:-

1) Kidneys control the volume of body fluid

2) Kidneys control mineral contents of our body.

3) Kidneys produce active form of vitamin-D which is beneficial for the health of bones.

4) Kidneys help to regulate blood pressure.

5) Kidneys control the acidity and alkanity of blood.

6) Kidneys produce erythropoietin that increases the rate of production of red blood cells.

Kidney diseases

There are various types of kidney disease -

1) Kidney failure – (a) acute kidney failure
      (b) chronic kidney failure

2) Polycystic kidney disease

3) Kidney stone

4) Renal tubular acidosis

5) Lupus nephritis

6) Kidney infection

7) Kidney cancer etc.

Symptoms of kidney disease

1) Swelling of legs, ankles etc.
2) Scanty and painful urination
3) Sometimes coming of blood with urine
4) Anaemia
5) High blood pressure
6) Sometimes burning sensation during urination
7) vomiting, nausea
8. Loss of appetite, headache etc.

Precautions

1) in case of painful and scanty urination consult a doctor immediately.

2) Don’t take pain killer medicines without the advice of a doctor.

3) If anybody in your family has got polycystic kidney disease then you should also consult a doctor.

4) Try to control your blood pressure. If necessary take medicines to control your blood pressure but don’t discontinue.

5) If your body water is lost due to heat or any reason then drink sufficient water.

6) Try to control your blood sugar. If necessary take insuline.

Sometimes it so happens that a person’s kidney damage is noticed after performing blood and urine tests but the person was not aware of the fact.

So from time to time blood test, urine test are required. Particularly for the following categories of persons regular check-up

blood test and urine tests are essential:-

1) Persons having high blood pressure and diabetes.

2) Persons who suffered from disease like nephritis in childhood.

3) Persons whose family member is suffering from polycystic kidney disease.

4) Persons having anaemia.

5) Persons having swelling in legs, ankles.

6) Persons who often suffer from urinal infection.

Author: S.N.Bhattacharya