KIDNEY FAILURE

INTRODUCTION
     Kidneys are those two "bean-shaped" organs in our body that filters our blood, ridding it of the waste products of food nutrients, drinks, or drug that gets into our blood stream. To really appreciate what our kidney does, 'imaging urinating in the toilet bowl of your own room for one week without flushing it'. The odor in the room will be so unbearable right?, now imaging having it in your body not being able to get it out because the filter (kidney) is not functioning. This is exactly what happens when the kidney fails.


Kidney failure can develop rapidly within days in which case the doctors calls it 'ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY (AKI)' or can decline gradually over years which the doctors calls 'CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE (CKD)'

WHAT MAKES KIDNEY TO FAIL?
Kidney functions can 'rapidly' deteriorate if;
1. You lose a lot of blood from trauma.
2. There is a systemic infection.
3. You are dehydrated.
4. You abuse drugs like aspirin, genticin (without prescription).
5. You take some herbal medications.
6. You are a sickle cell patients.

Kidney functions can 'gradually' deteriorate if;
1. You are a diabetes mellitus patient and not regular on prescribed medication to control your blood glucose.
2. You are a hypertensive patient and not regular on prescribed medications to control your blood pressure.
3. You have had a kidney injury during your childhood days.
4. You have a kidney stone, bladder stone, a blocked urethra or an enlarged prostate gland (in men) which makes it very difficult for you to urinate.
5. If you are HIV patient and not regular on medication.
6. If you use Mecury containing soaps or creams.
7. If there are multiple cysts in your kidneys.

HOW WILL I KNOW IF MY KIDNEYS HAVE FAILED? 
If there is deterioration in your kidney function it would manifest in the following ways;

1. Your normal daily volume of urine would reduce. This would be evident to you as a noticeable reduction in the number of times that you pass urine per day as against before the decline.
2. In some severe forms of injury you might not pass any urine at all.
3. Facial swelling and leg swelling which may progress to involve every part of your body is the direct consequence.
4. Fluids may even pool in the lungs making it very difficult to breath.

Other manifestations which are directly due to accumulation of the waste products that ought to be excreted from our body through the kidneys includes;

4. Generalized body weakness.
5. You may feel nauseated and vomit.
6. Abdominal pain and passage of dark stool.
7. Restlessness.
8. Hiccups.
9. Headaches.
10. Convulsions.

TREATMENT.
Good news is that the Acute Kidney Injury are almost always treatable with restoration of the kidney function if they are detected early enough and the Chronic Kidney Disease which although can only progress to a complete renal failure (End Stage Renal Failure) can also be managed and the progression can be slowed down if such individual can present at a hospital (which is the only place where such diagnosis are made and with prompt management given).

PREVENTION
Kidney failure is better prevented than treated not only because of the cost implication that the treatment entails but also because of sometimes prolong hospital stay amongst other factors all culminating in reduced productivity of such individual during this time.
      Prevention entails;

1. Adequate water intake, about 3litres a day. This would keep you well hydrated, reducing the chances of stones forming in your kidneys or along your urinary tract as your kidney will make about 2 Litres of urine a day enough to flush any potential micro obstructions. Dont worry about the remaining 1 Litre your skin would sweat it out some while the rest would be breath out as long as you continue to breath.

2. Good drug compliance and being regular on follow up clinic visit if you are a hypertensive, HIV, sickle cell disease, or diabetic patient.

3. Avoid using Mecury containing soaps or cream because once its in your body, your kidney does a lot of work in trying to excrete it and in the process gets injured.

4. Avoid indiscriminate use of over the counter drugs (especially the non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs) and some herbal medications as much as you can.

5. And ultimately seeking medical attention when you feel sick and conveying any accident victim to the hospital as fast as you can, from where doctors will take over the management.

CONCLUSION
           Kidneys are vital organs in our body that the cost of their failure is very EXPENSIVE. Therefore, we must do everything to protect it. Whatever it might take. Let me close on a more serious note, below is the picture of the natural kidney (left)  Vs. the artificial kidney (which is also known as the "Dialysis Machine").

Hope you find this helpful,  kidney failure video coming soon on my youtube channel Gabriel Fabusuyi. Thanks for stopping by. Be healthy, stay healthy and bye for now.