In the United States researchers estimated that 31 million people suffer with chronic kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease is a serious illness that can be prevented by taking some measurements, although once the patient has the disease it can be fatal if left untreated. There are several factors that go into CKD, including risks, preventable measures, function, and treatments for CKD patients.
Chronic kidney disease has certain risks, with any type of disease there are risks. People who have high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, family history, and age all play a factor in the risk. This disease can affect anyone, but in particular, people who have already prone to problems. However, there are no symptoms for this particular disease until it has progressed too far along. In order to help prevent this type of disease from happening, people should be aware of the salt in their diet, exercise regularly, limit or avoid tobacco and alcohol, and maintain regular physical exams by a doctor. People who are concerned about this disease can get tested by their doctor. There are several tests performed to check the kidneys. The two main types of tests are a simple urine test and an estimated glomerular filtration rate or otherwise known as an eGFR test. The test called estimated glomerular filtration rate measures how well your kidneys filter blood. They look for one type of waste called creatinine. A healthy kidney will filter this waste product out of your system. If the doctor finds this particular enzyme in the blood this is one sign of the onset of kidney disease. One sign of kidney disease is if the test result is less than sixty than the estimated glomerular flirtation rate. If the doctor prefers to run a urine test, the test will check for blood or protein to be found in your urine. If protein is showing up in the urine test it is another sign of kidney disease.
With the risks of chronic kidney disease may vary preventing the disease can be easily maintained. Of course, with this disease, if it runs in the family, people are more prone to it. Also if the patient suffers from diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure, and has a family history are all at risk of chronic kidney disease. There are several easy ways to prevent this disease. Regular exercise, eating a low-fat and salt diet, and frequent doctor exams are some easy ways to prevent this awful disease from occurring. Although not everyone is going to be able to fully prevent this disease, there are certain measures to try and prevent it from happening.
The kidneys are a viable organ the body needs for daily function. Kidneys help get rid of waste in your blood by excreting it through urine. That is just one of the many functions the kidneys have. Other important functions are to help regulate red blood cells, control blood pressure, and metabolism, and help keep bones healthy. The kidneys are connected to the bladder by the thin tube called the ureter. The kidneys are located on either side of the vertebral column between vertebrae T (thoracic)12 and L (lumbar)3. The left kidney is located slightly above the right kidney, while the right kidney is below the liver.
People with chronic kidney disease have some options when it comes to treatments available. There are two main types of treatment for chronic kidney disease patients. Peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis are two methods of treatment for kidney disease patients. Peritoneal dialysis patients receive treatment that they patient does themselves daily. Peritoneal dialysis (known as PD) helps to remove waste and excess fluid in the kidneys by using the lining of the abdomen called the peritoneum and a solution called dialysate to help assist the kidneys. People who choose this option have a catheter placed in their stomach by minor surgery to have it inserted. The only downside to this method of treatment is storage issues. The person must make sure they have enough space to store all the solutions in bags for when they hook up to the dialysis machine. Also, the dialysis cycle usually lasts during the night time.
The second type of treatment is hemodialysis. Hemodialysis is a type of treatment that cycles the blood and filters it through a dialysis machine. The filter cleans out the blood and gets rid of excess waste and other unnecessary fluids. This is actually the most common type of treatment for chronic kidney disease patients. This procedure is mainly done at a dialysis center. Most of the clients there receive dialysis three times per week depending on their certain circumstances. This treatment requires the person to have vascular access where the blood will enter and exit through this. In order to get vascular access it requires minor surgery. This type of cycle lasts anywhere from three to five hours depending on the individual person.
