Chronic kidney disease (CKD), also known as chronic renal disease, is a progressive loss in renal function over a period of months or years. The symptoms of worsening kidney function are unspecific, and might include feeling generally unwell and experiencing a reduced appetite. Often, chronic kidney disease is diagnosed as a result of screening of people known to be at risk of kidney problems, such as those with high blood pressure or diabetes and those with a blood relative with chronic kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease may also be identified when it leads to one of its recognized complications, such as cardiovascular disease, anemia or pericarditis.Various Chronic Kidney Diseases will eventually develop into Chronic Renal Failure. When it happens, the structure of the kidneys is damaged, including glomerulosclerosis, renal interstitium fibrosis, tubular atrophy etc. As a result, the kidneys loss the function of excreting metabolic wastes and excess water as well as the function of secreting some hormones. Under such condition, toxins build up to high level in the body, which leads to inside circumstance imbalance and other organs injury. If this condition develops to some degree, life will be threatened. So, it is important for patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) to prevent Chronic Renal Failure. There are some measures as follows:
Limiting Protein Intake
Low-protein diets benefits patients with kidney disease. Your doctor or dietitian may recommend a moderate-protein diet. 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day is a common suggestion. In fact, high quality protein diet may be recommended, such as fish, eggs or lean meats. This will help you replace muscles and other tissues that you loss. But it is better to talk to your doctor, nurse, or dietitian about detailed information on your daily diets.
Control of Blood Pressure
High blood pressure will burden the kidneys. So patients with CKD should strictly control blood pressure. If your urine protein is larger than 1 gram, you need to keep your blood pressure at 125/75mmHg. And if your urine protein is less than 1gram, you could keep your blood pressure at 130/80mmHg. With or without high blood pressure, ACEI and ARB medicines are suggested to take, because both of them have effects of lowering blood pressure and blocking renal fibrosis. However, they may cause hyperkalemia. Hence, these should be taken under your doctor’s guide and monitoring.
Be Careful of the Factors Harmful to the Kidneys
A cold, overstrain, pregnancy and some harmful medicines may further damage the kidneys and speed up the process of developing into Chronic Renal Failure.
Proper Treatment
Treatment plays the most important role in development of Chronic Kidney Disease. A proper treatment will slow down the kidneys’ deterioration, and even recover and rebuild functions of the kidneys. On the contrary, an improper one may threaten a patient’s life. Hence, choosing a proper treatment means a lot for patients with CKD. Traditional treatments focus on patients symptoms and neglect the pathological changes in the kidneys. A relatively new treatment, called Stem Cell Transplant overthrows that wrong method. It can treat CKD effectively by focus on the renal lesions. Many patients with CKD have good condition after Stem Cell Transplant.
