The Basics of Kidney Disease

The kidneys are some of the most important organs in the body. For example, your kidneys help control blood pressure, filter excess water and wastes out of your blood, and make urine. Those who are suffering from kidney disease have kidneys functioning at suboptimal levels. They are unable to filter blood normally, which causes those waste products to gather in the body. 

Many who suffer from kidney disease find that it creeps up on them over a number of years. Perhaps they have diabetes or another disease, and they don’t even notice the issues with their kidneys at first. Those who have kidney damage that takes place over a number of years have chronic kidney disease. If someone has a sudden, adverse change in kidney function – for example, due to an illness, certain medications, or another injury – they have acute kidney injury.

Currently, nearly 20 million people in the United States alone are at risk of developing kidney disease.

Because your kidneys are in danger from a number of different threats, it is very important that you learn to take care of them, and get regular checkups at the doctor. The sooner you know you might have a problem the sooner you will be able to take care of it. When you are able to catch issues early, you can treat them appropriately. Doing so may help delay, and in some cases prevent, total kidney failure. An example, treatment option includes taking ACE inhibitors to help keep the kidneys healthier for longer.

Kidney disease doesn’t go away. In fact, it will usually get worse, and that is why it is so important to get the treatment and help you need as early as possible.

Reference
http://nkdep.nih.gov/learn/kidney-disease-basics.shtml

Our informational articles are for your information only and are not intended as medical advice. Because everyone is different, we recommend you work with your medical professional to determine what’s best for you.