Managing Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a condition where there is documented damage to the kidney which may compromise the kidneys’ abilities to clean up toxic metabolites and maintain normal levels of electrolytes in your blood. This encompasses many different medical conditions that can result in CKD, such as hypertension and diabetes. CKD can lead to many different complications such as anemia, weak bones, malnutrition, nerve damage, high blood pressure and chronic heart failure. These problems may happen slowly over a long period of time or rapidly depending on the medical cause of CKD. Early detection and treatment can often keep CKD from getting worse. When kidney disease progresses, it may eventually lead to kidney failure and require dialysis or kidney transplant in order to maintain life.
—Source: The National Kidney Foundation
High Blood Pressure and Kidney Disease
Blood pressure is the force of your blood against the walls of your blood vessels as your heart pumps blood around your body. If the force becomes too high, you are said to have high blood pressure or hypertension.
How are high blood pressure and kidney disease related? High blood pressure is a leading cause of CKD. Over time, high blood pressure can damage blood vessels throughout your body. This can reduce the blood supply to important organs like the kidneys. High blood pressure also damages the tiny filtering units in your kidneys. As a result, the kidneys may stop removing wastes and extra fluid from your blood. The extra fluid in the blood vessels may build up and raise blood pressure even more.
—Source: The National Kidney Foundation
Anemia and Chronic Kidney Disease
What is Anemia?
Anemia happens when your red blood cells are in short supply. Red blood cells carry oxygen from your lungs to all parts of your body, giving you the energy you need for your daily activities.
Anemia can cause you to:
- Look pale
- Feel tired
- Have little energy for your daily activities
- Have a poor appetite
- Have trouble sleeping
- Have trouble thinking clearly
- Feel dizzy or have headaches
- Have a rapid heartbeat
- Feel short of breath
- Feel depressed or “down in the dumps”
Learn More
Kidney Biopsy
If your doctor wants you to have a kidney biopsy, here are some things you should know.
A kidney biopsy involves taking one or more tiny pieces of your kidney tissue to look at under a regular microscope and a highly specialized electron microscope.
The kidney tissue may be taken in one of two ways:
- Percutaneous (means through the skin) biopsy: This is done using a needle placed through the skin over the kidney and guided to the right place in the kidney, usually with the help of ultrasound.
- Open biopsy: The kidney tissue is taken directly from the kidney during surgery.
The kidney tissue is sent to a doctor (pathologist) who looks at it using special microscopes. He or she will check for any abnormal cells or signs of disease.
—Source: The National Kidney Foundation
Dialysis
Dialysis is a treatment that does some of the things healthy kidneys do. It is needed when your own kidneys can no longer take care of your body’s needs. You need dialysis when you develop end stage kidney failure – usually by the time you lose about 85 to 90 percent of your kidney function.
Like healthy kidneys, dialysis keeps your body in balance. Dialysis does the following:
- Removes waste, salt and extra water to prevent them from building up in the body
- Keeps a safe level of certain chemicals in your blood, such as potassium, sodium and bicarbonate
- Helps to control blood pressure
—Source: The National Kidney Foundation
Educational Resources
American Association of Kidney Patients – www.aakp.org
American Kidney Fund – www.akfinc.org
American Society of Nephrology – www.asn-online.org/
Guide to Lowering Blood Pressure –www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/resources/heart/hbp-guide-to-lower
Kidney Patient Guide – www.kidneypatientguide.org.uk
Kidney School – www.kidneyschool.org
National Kidney and Urological Diseases Information and Clearing House – http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov
The National Kidney Foundation, Inc. – www.kidney.org
