Your Kidneys are the organ that produces urine and cleanses your body of waste. Chronic kidney disease occurs when waste starts to build up in the body and the kidneys are not filtering as they should. Most people who are affected by chronic kidney disease are older adults, but it may occur at any age. People who are most likely to develop the disease are people that are already diagnosed with diabetes or high blood pressure. Although a physical injury, obesity, high cholesterol, heart disease, or a family history of kidney disease can also cause a person to develop it. The only way you can detect that you have the disease is through a urine or blood sample. Some symptoms though, are tiredness and swelling because of fluid buildup. It also causes cloudy urine and back pains.
Sometimes if chronic kidney disease is not caught in time it can lead to kidney failure. In order to keep your body functioning with kidney failure either you are required to have a kidney transplant or put on dialysis. After you have gone through all the necessary steps with your doctor to see if you are eligible to have a transplant kidney, either a family member or friend can get tested to see if they are a positive match or you will be registered with Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network links all the people in the region who are in need of a transplant to transplant centers or organ procurement organizations.
There are two things that are required in order for a transplant kidney to be a match. The first is blood type must be compatible with the donor. The second is the human leukocyte antigen, which is found in white blood cells. If those two factors are met doctors then make sure that your antibodies mix well with the donor’s blood. If it does then your kidney transplant is approved. Dialysis is the other way to keep your body functioning with kidney failure. Dialysis pretty much acts as your kidney and filters your blood. Hemodialysis patients are usually required to a dialysis center and have treatment a couple of times a week. A dialysis machine with a set of tubes that take your blood out of your body cleanses it and then takes the clean blood back to the body with another set of tubes.
Hemodialysis is the most common type of dialysis. Peritoneal dialysis can be done by the kidney failure patient at home. This kind of dialysis uses your peritoneal membrane to filter your blood. When doing peritoneal dialysis you inject dialysis fluid into your abdomen and the dialysis fluid pulls the waste out of your body when the dialysis fluid is removed. Even though peritoneal dialysis can be done at home, it requires the dialysis patient to make sure they keep their doctors and nurse updated on how their procedures are going. Communication and checkups with the doctor are very important in both cases of dialysis.
References
Diabetes, High Blood Pressure Raise Kidney Disease: Riskhttp://www.cdc.gov/Features/WorldKidneyDay/
Treatment Methods for Kidney Failure: Transplantation: http://www.kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/transplant/
Treatment Methods for Kidney Failure: Hemodialysis: http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/KUDiseases/pubs/hemodialysis/index.aspx
Treatment Methods for Kidney Failure: Peritoneal Dialysis: http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/KUDiseases/pubs/peritoneal/index.aspx
