As per the WHO statistics, it is estimated that 1 in 5 men and 1 out of 4 women have chronic kidney disease worldwide. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a condition where the kidneys are damaged or have no capacity to filter toxins from the body. Every 5 hours, a new patient is subjected to dialysis to remove the toxic materials.

What is chronic kidney disease (CKD)?

A condition where the kidney loses its normal function over a period of months or years is called chronic kidney disease (CKD). Each kidney has more than a million filters called nephrons, which are responsible for eliminating waste products from the body. If the nephrons are damaged or worn out, they stop functioning. A healthy nephron has the ability to work extra, but if the injury or damage is spread to other nephrons, a number of nephrons will stop working.

At a certain point, the damaged nephrons will fail to filter the blood at an optimal level. When the kidney fails to function normally, it results in kidney failure. If left untreated, it can be life-threatening. Walk into Aster CMI Hospital for more details about kidney health by a highly-qualified nephrologist in Bangalore.

Some unknown facts of kidney disorders:

  1. There’s no signs and symptoms of chronic kidney disease at the early stage.
  2. Chronic kidney disorders are treatable, if treated early.
  3. Blood and urine samples are used to detect kidney disease.
  4. Kidney disorders can progress to kidney failure.

What causes chronic kidney disease?

  • Diabetes and hypertension (high blood pressure) are the common cause of kidney disease. The less common conditions that lead to CKD are glomerulonephritis (inflammation) or pyelonephritis (infections).
  • Polycystic disease or prolonged blockage in the urinary system, such as kidney stones or enlarged prostate can result in kidney diseases.
  • Certain kind of drugs causes chronic kidney disease, such as analgesics (painkillers).

Signs and symptoms of chronic kidney disease

Around 90% of the kidney functions stop working before experiencing any kind of symptoms. A majority of people have no signs and symptoms until CKD is at an advanced stage. The general symptoms of chronic kidney disease are:

  • Fatigue
  • Loss of appetite
  • Weakness
  • Decreased sexual desire
  • Difficulty in concentrating
  • Blood in urine
  • Abdominal pain
  • Increased thirst
  • Muscle cramps

If a person is experiencing any of these symptoms he/she needs medical attention. All of the above symptoms might not be directly related to kidney disorder. Contact your healthcare providers if the symptoms get worse

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