Kidney diseases and injuries can affect how kidneys function. Over a period of time, untreated kidney diseases can result in slow and silent decline in kidney function. Some of the diseases such as diabetic kidney disease, blood pressure, glomerular diseases, congenital kidney diseases, trauma or poisoning can cause damage to the nephrons, the filtering units of kidneys, and thus reduce the kidney function or renal function.
Kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs each roughly measuring a size of a fist. Kidneys process about 180 liters of blood and remove almost 2 liters of waste every day. Renal function: When both the kidneys are functioning normal. Kidneys are made of small filtering units called nephrons, a group of tiny blood vessels called glomerulus connected to a urine collecting tubule. The glomerulus plays a major role in retaining normal proteins, blood cells and allowing only extra fluid and wastes into the tubule. An intact electrolyte balance and complex chemical exchanges ensure the kidneys function of regulating fluid levels, blood pressure, and calcium & other electrolyte levels in the blood.
Renal function or Kidney function is intact when both the kidneys are working efficiently as measured by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). eGFR is the measure of percentage of kidney function that is available. Rarely, small or mild decline (30 to 40%) is noticed even in normal individuals. People with reduced kidney function usually have an associated kidney disease and there are chances of both of them worsening with age. Kidney diseases and decline in kidney function are usually silent, until the decline is severe with an eGFR of 25%. Any further decline below 10 – 15% requires lifetime dialysis or renal transplant or dialysis.
Some of the common diseases with associated kidney failure are:
It is important that patients with kidney diseases take control of their health. There is no cure for chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, a prompt action plan goes a long way to delay the progress, reduce complications such as stroke, heart attack. People with reduced kidney function should: