Kidney failure has several symptoms. Some of the general symptoms are nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite etc. Since kidney failure can also be caused due to other diseases, symptoms can differ. A number of etiological factors are associated with this condition. Some of them include diabetes mellitus, elevated levels of blood pressure, polycystic kidney disease etc. As one can observe, lifestyle plays a major role in contributing to this condition. Other risk factors shall also increase the rate of failure. Some of the risk factors are age, obesity, excessive tobacco use etc. Several tests can be used for the diagnosis of chronic renal failure. Some of these diagnostic tests are as follows:
Urine tests: Abnormalities may be detected in the urine of a patient having this condition. Constituents like creatinine and urea shall be in high amounts.
Blood tests: The amount of waste products in the blood shall give an idea about the degree of damage that has occurred to the kidneys.
Imaging tests: Tests like ultrasound, acoustic tests can help to determine the overall structure, size and other finer details of the kidneys. This anatomical information about the kidney is very vital for fetching information regarding the location and severity of kidney damage.
Excluding these, other diagnostic methods like testing of a portion of kidney tissue, are also employed to detect this condition.
Based on the diagnosis, an appropriate treatment plan is decided. The treatments are also selected based on the cause of this condition. In order to make the patient comfortable, the complications that come along with the conditions are treated. Treatments are therefore performed for the following complications:
Medications for high blood pressure: Mostly, angiotensin-converting-enzymes (ACE) inhibitors are given to make the pressure under control. Care is also taken so that the high blood pressure medications do not alter the current status of the kidney. For this frequent blood tests may be necessary.
Medications to decrease anemia: Supplements of erythropoietin and iron may be given to the patient to improve the production of red blood cells. This shall increase the blood production, thereby decreasing anemia.
Medications to relieve swelling: Diuretics are generally the medications that are administered to decrease the amount of swelling. Swelling usually happens to legs and arms.
Medications for the protections of bones: Vitamin D and calcium supplements are also given oso as to prevent and compensate for any bone damage caused.
End-stage Treatment: If the situation is much worse, either a kidney or a dialysis is required.
Dialysis Treatment: Dialysis removes the excess fluids and waste products in an artificial manner. They are replacement of the normal kidney function. When dialysis is done in blood, it is referred to as hemodialysis. In such a procedure, the waste products are filtered from the blood. There is also another kind of dialysis known as peritoneal dialysis, wherein a catheter is employed for filtering the waste products. In this procedure, the abdominal cavity is filed with a particular solution that performs the aforesaid absorption function.
Kidney transplantation: This procedure is applicable for life-threatening situations. This involves transplanting the diseased or damaged kidney with a healthy kidney from a donor. Healthy kidneys from both alive and deceased donors are accepted. However, they are transplanted within a certain perios of time after which necrosis of the kidney cells shall happen. It hence becomes unsuitable for performing kidney transplant.