Our kidneys are a pair of vital organs that help to filter waste, remove excess fluids and maintain a healthy balance of salts and minerals. Simply put, they detoxify our body. However, when one of the kidneys stops functioning, it can lead to kidney failure.

But do you know thatyour kidneys have an incredible ability to function even when they are partially damaged?

In fact, they have greater capacity to filter waste and maintain balance in our body. They continue to perform their function even if they are damaged and which is why many people don’t notice kidney issues until significant damage has occurred.

The real problem arises when the damage becomes severe—this is when kidney failure sets in.

That’s why early detection and care are crucial to keeping your kidneys healthy!

In this blog, we will discuss about Chronic Kidney Disease, commonly called CKD, the symptoms and its preventive measures.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

This arises when your kidneys stop functioning properly and cannot filter blood. This generally happens slowly over a long period of time and thus termed as chronic. CKD can result in many severe health problems, such as increasing the risk of stroke or heart attack, increasing High Blood Pressure which leads to damage of kidneys.

Symptoms of Chronic Kidney Disease:

As stated earlier, damaged kidneys may not show early signs of malfunction since they can continue to function well even when partially impaired. However, with prolonged kidney failures, you can experience multiple symptoms.

The main symptoms of kidney failure are:

• Less urine output
• Loss of appetite
• Feeling tired
• Weight loss
• Nausea & vomiting
• Sleep problems
• Headaches
• Chest pain
• Metallic tastes in the mouth
• Swelling in the body
• Dry skin
• Shortness of breath
• Muscle cramps
• Itching or numbness
• Trouble in concentrating

If you face these symptoms, don’t ignore. Seek a medical specialist’s advice immediately. Get to know about kidney problems, if any and start treatment as early as possible.

You have a higher risk of developing kidney disease if you have:

• A family history of kidney disease
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure

Manage your Chronic Kidney Disease:

If, by chance you have CKD, follow some steps to protect your kidneys from further damage. These steps will not only protect your kidneys but also help you prevent heart diseases, improve your overall health. These steps are:

• Keep a check on your blood pressure
• Check weight gain
• If you have diabetes, keep a close look at it
• Drink plenty of water
• Have a balanced and healthy diet
• Take medicines as prescribed
• Get sound sleep
• Do physical exercise
• Manage stress and depression
• Quit smoking
• Limit alcohol consumption

Chronic Kidney Disease- Preventive measures:

Given below are some essential tips to prevent CKD and help keep your kidneys healthy.

Control Your Blood Sugar: Diabetes triggers the risk of kidney failure and heart disease, thus it is important to maintain stable blood sugar levels. Monitor your diet, limit sweet intake, and stay active with regular exercise to keep your kidneys healthy.

Stay Hydrated: Water helps clean the body from toxins. Drinking plenty of water and fluids lowers the risk of kidney disease. Dehydration, on the other hand can decrease the blood flow to the kidney, causing damage to the kidneys.

Eat Smart and Healthy: Choose food that will keep your heart healthy. Opt for foods like fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. Limit salt, sugar, and fried items. Go for boiled chicken and fish. Choose foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.

Make physical activity your daily routine: Practicing physical activity on a regular basis helps reduce stress and keeps your mind, body and soul active and calm.

Maintain a healthy weight: Obesity raises the risk of kidney failure and other illnesses. Healthy and balanced diet, rich in fibre and protein and cutting down on saturated fat, salt, and sugar help maintain the right body weight.

Avoid smoking & alcohol intake: Quitting smoking can benefit kidney health. Smoking slows down the flow of blood to the kidneys, thus triggering the risk of kidney damage and even kidney cancer. Consuming excessive alcohol can lead to increase in blood pressure, adding extra calories and even dehydration. Limit your drink to keep your kidneys healthy.

Manage stress:Chronic stress affects both mind and body, increasing the risk of kidney disease and other health issues. Therefore, managing stress and staying relaxed is important for overall well-being.

Get quality sleep: Try to get a sound sleep of around 7- 8 hours every day. Good sleep helps reduce stress and supports overall health, including kidney function.

Conclusion

Managing Chronic Kidney Disease is very important and requires preventive measures with a healthy lifestyle. Do consult an experiencednephrologist for proper guidance and treatment to maintain better kidney health.

At Neotia Getwel Multispecialty Hospital, the Department of Nephrology, consisting of state-of-the art dialysis unit along with special facility for treatment of sero positive patients, offers advanced treatment to patients with any kidney related disorders, ensuring patient safety and satisfaction.

Disclaimer

Though all attempts are made to provide correct information on the subject, inadvertent & typographical errors arising out of manual intervention cannot be ruled out. It is requested to bring any such discrepancies to the notice of the blogger for correction.