Getting To Know Renal Diseases

Are you having problems with micturation? Is your urine of a different color, smell and amount? Do you feel consistent, radiating pain on your back? Well, I don’t want to scare you or anything, but you might want to visit a doctor as soon as possible and take some diagnostic exams. For all you know, you might already be suffering from a kidney disease.

The kidney is a vital part of the body. And aside from the heart; it is probably one of the most hardworking too. It filters about 5 to 6 liters of blood constantly for 24 hours. When we are resting, it functions with same consistency as when we are active; ensuring that we that have properly balanced fluids and electrolytes. In addition, the kidneys serve as the body’s strain, ridding it of excess and unhealthy substances. They control the byproducts of metabolism and consumption, segregating those that are needed from those that are not, and removing those deemed unimportant through urine. Now, aside from toxins, the kidneys also help regulate the amount of free radicals in our system in order to preserve the integrity of our body. In large amounts, free radicals can disturb normal processes and destroy cells.

So, in a nutshell, the kidneys play a major role in maintaining our health. Once they become dysfunctional, (particularly the nephrons, which are its functional structures) toxins, acids, free radicals and excess fluids and electrolytes will build up inside us and cause our physiology to go haywire. Unadjusted amounts of fluids will result to abnormal fluid shifting (edema, pleural effusion) and cardiac overload. Non-proportional levels of sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and other electrolytes will produce neurologic, muscular and circulatory abnormalities.

Kidney diseases are categorized into two major types {acute and chronic); the first often involving sudden injury to the kidneys as in a car accident and the second, pertaining to progressive degradation of renal function, caused by infection or an unhealthy lifestyle (excessive smoking, drinking, consumption of salty foods). Though these two have different onsets, they are equally detrimental to the health and should be immediately addressed. Death is eminent for people who do not take renal disease seriously. Again, the kidneys play a major role in sustaining our overall well-being. So one must be adamant in preserving them.