Renal failure - symptoms and forms of the disease

The total mass of the kidneys is only 0.5% of the body weight. Each of them weighs about 20 grams, reaches about 12 cm in length and has the shape of a bean. Located in the abdominal cavity, they play a very important role in the filtration of blood flowing through the renal arteries, in the elimination of toxins, the production of hormones such as renin (regulates blood pressure) and erythropoietin (responsible for the production of active vitamin D3 and helps maintain the correct balance of minerals) . The effectiveness of this organ is so great that if a person has only one kidney, the other is able to meet the needs of the whole blood circulation and perfectly perform all of its functions.

But, unfortunately, the kidneys are amenable to destruction. A number of factors, both internal and external, can adversely affect their condition, and eventually lead to a disease such as kidney failure. It not only worsens the function of the urinary tract, but also leads to a violation of the balance of blood circulation in the whole body.

In renal failure, kidney function is disrupted so that even physiological compensatory mechanisms cease to be supportive of them. Symptoms that can indicate renal failure are quite a lot. Anorexia, fever, diarrhea, swelling, nosebleeds, fatigue and weakness, gastrointestinal bleeding, hypertension, muscle spasms, vomiting, convulsions, pericarditis - these are the signs that kidney failure is not excluded. This disease has an acute and chronic form.

Acute renal failure is a condition that occurs suddenly and quickly, and leads to significant disruptions in the functioning of the body, including becoming a threat to human life. Salvation in this case is dialysis, which prevents the contamination of the body with toxic substances that are excreted in the normal state with urine. The causes of this form of the disease are insufficient blood flow, glomerular diseases and renal parenchyma, poisoning, toxic substances or impaired urine outflow.

Chronic kidney failure is slowly developing, sometimes completely unnoticed for the patient. This form of the disease is often a consequence of previous kidney diseases, chronic diseases or the presence of stones in this organ.

Determining the level in the blood of creatinine and urea is the main test for assessing kidney function. Creatinine, being the product of the transformations occurring in the muscles of the compound, is completely excreted by the kidneys through the urine. In the case of renal insufficiency, its concentration increases, and at the same time the so-called creatinine clearance (GFR), which is the main parameter indicative of the degree of insufficiency, is reduced. Depending on the severity of the course of the disease, renal failure in the chronicle forms several periods with characteristic symptoms. The first period is characterized by a reduction in the glomerular filtration rate to 60 ml per minute, the second - from 30 to 50 ml per minute, the third - from 30 to 5 ml / min and the fourth - to 5 ml / min.

It should be noted that nutrition in renal failure is the use of foods that contain a minimum amount of protein. Recommendations on the type of food intake and the amount of fluid can vary throughout the course of the illness. The main principle of such a low protein diet is to reduce the consumption of dairy products, meat, fish, vegetables and legumes, because they are the main sources of protein. The daily protein norm for patients with a diagnosis of renal insufficiency should be at least 20 g, otherwise its shortage can lead to depletion. But the maximum amount depends on the level of creatinine in the blood plasma. For patients it is recommended to use vegetable oils (rapeseed or flaxseed) 2-3 tablespoons a day and sea fish.