NATIONAL
KIDNEY MONTH inte
Kidneys are essential organs in your body. The
two kidneys vital tasks are to remove wastes and
toxins from your body and much more! As you eat
and drink, your body takes what it needs for energy,
nutrients and self repair. Leftovers and extra
water the body does not need become wastes. Some
of the wastes end up in the bloodstream and must
be filtered out to keep you healthy. This becomes
one of the jobs of the kidneys. Kidneys also regulate
your body’s water and other things in your
blood such as calcium and sodium. The kidneys
release hormones that help to make new red blood
cells, promote strong bones and to regulate your
blood pressure. The kidneys also remove toxins
and drugs that are introduced into your body.
As you can see, your kidney health is very important.
There are many causes of chronic kidney disease.
Chronic kidney disease may be caused by diabetes
or high blood pressure (hypertension), certain
inflammation of the kidneys, inherited diseases,
congenital malformations, immune diseases, repeated
urinary tract infections or by obstructions caused
by problems such as kidney stones.
Unfortunately, one may not have severe symptoms
until the chronic kidney disease is at an advanced
point. The early signs can be very subtle. Some
of the symptoms that one might experience are:
• muscle cramping, especially at night
• itchy skin – the build up of wastes
in the blood can cause severe itching
• difficulty sleeping or concentrating
• poor appetite
• fatigue – lack of usual energy and
feelings of overwhelming tiredness can be related
to kidney failure
• swollen feet and ankles and puffiness
around the eyes (especially in the morning) –
failing kidneys do not remove extra fluid, which
builds up in the body
• changes in urination – foamy urine,
blood in the urine, more or less urine than usual,
or getting up at night to urinate
• shortness of breath – extra fluid
can build up in the lungs or anemia can cause
shortness of breath.
• pain in the small of the back –
the pain is not made worse by movement
Make sure to make an appointment with your doctor
and discuss any symptoms.
There are options for treatment when the kidneys
to fail and treatment is needed to filter out
wastes and extra fluid from the bloodstream. Treatments
today can help people live long and live well.
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