Dr Sudeep Singh Sachdev, Director & Senior Consultant – Nephrology, Hypertension and Renal Transplantation, Narayana Hospital Gurugram, Haryana, is a distinguished name in the field of Nephrology. On World Kidney Day, he passionately speaks about why is it so vital to keep your kidneys healthy.
What is the main role of kidney in the body?
Each individual is born with 2 Kidneys which are made up of around a million nephrons each. These nephrons are responsible for filtering out waste products like urea, creatinine and acids from the body. The kidney also plays a crucial role in regulating fluid (water) and electrolyte (sodium, potassium) balance, thus helping the body to maintain an optimal blood pressure. Kidney also secretes certain hormones which aid in haemoglobin synthesis and regulate calcium, phosphorous, bone metabolism.
What are the common causes of kidney diseases?
Documented cases of kidney diseases have surged in India and worldwide, due to early testing and markedly improved diagnostic capabilities. Studies have shown that one out of every 10-12 Indian is affected by some form kidney disorder. The common causes of kidney disease include uncontrolled Diabetes, Hypertension, Chronic glomerulonephritis, Chronic tubulo-interstitial nephritis, presence of long standing kidney stones, recurrent urinary tract infections, genetic disorders (Cystic kidney disease), metabolic syndrome, heart failure or liver failure, autoimmune diseases, excessive use of pain killers.
What are the common signs and symptoms of kidney disease?
Common signs and symptoms of kidney disease include swelling or oedema over the ankles, feet or legs, puffiness around the eyes, decreased appetite, early morning nausea/vomiting, weakness and easy fatiguability, presence of dry & itchy skin, metallic taste in mouth, anaemia or low haemoglobin. Changes in frequency (increase or decrease), colour (blood and pus in the urine), consistency (frothiness) of urine also denote the presence of kidney disease. Backache or lower abdominal pain raises the possibility of stone or infection in the kidney or urinary bladder. Detection of new onset hypertension can also be a sign of kidney disease.
What are the different treatment modalities available for patients who progress to kidney failure?
Chronic kidney disease is a permanent, progressive and irreversible deterioration of renal function in which the person eventually progresses to kidney failure. Treatment modalities for patients who progress to End stage renal disease include:
1. Haemodialysis – procedure in which the blood of the patient (via a Fistula needle or catheter), passes through a filter called dialyzer, which removes the toxins from the blood and the purified blood is returned back to the body of the patient. Maintenance Haemodialysis is performed twice or thrice a week and each session is usually of 4 hours duration.
2. Peritoneal dialysis – is a procedure in which a cleansing fluid flows through a tube into the abdominal cavity. The inner lining of the abdomen, known as peritoneum, acts as a filter and removes waste products from the blood. After 4-6 hours, the fluid with filtered waste flows out of the abdomen and is thrown away. Peritoneal dialysis can be performed manually (Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis) or with a machine (Automated peritoneal dialysis) at home.
3. Kidney Transplant – The best form of treatment modality for a patient with kidney failure is kidney transplant. It involves a donor, who is legally related to the patient, to donate one of his/her healthy kidney to the patient, after a thorough set of investigations for both the donor and the recipient. The surgery usually takes 4-6 hours and the recipient has to take immunosuppressive medication throughout his/her lifetime to ensure the proper functioning of the donor kidney in his/her body. Kidney transplant can be live donor related or Cadaveric (brain dead with beating heart) donor and can be ABO compatible or incompatible (different blood group of donor and recipient).
Tips to keep your kidneys healthy on World Kidney Day!!
• Drink plenty of water (8 to 10 glasses) every day
• Restrict salt intake in diet
• Take a balanced diet and maintain appropriate body weight
• Keep your blood sugar and blood pressure levels under check
• Get kidney function tests, urine analysis, imaging tests done at regular intervals as part of your annual health check up
• Quit smoking
• Avoid intake of over the counter painkillers
• Maintain an active healthy life style
Recognition, awareness of warning signs and timely intervention, can mean the difference between early detection and treatment of kidney disease OR ending up on dialysis or kidney transplant or in some cases even death.
