Acute Kidney Disease: Management and Treatment Options
The kidney performs several functions to maintain the balance in the body. It eliminates wastewater and discharges it into the urine, and regulates the amount of electrolyte and water such as sodium, potassium, and calcium. In addition, excessive acid or base is excreted to help our body maintain acid-base balance. The failure to do these things is called kidney failure, says nephrologist in Delhi.
How do you diagnose kidney failure?
When both kidneys become ineffective, the wastes in the blood increase. The easiest measure is the creatinine and urea nitrogen in the blood. Importantly, even a slight increase in serum creatinine means that the renal function is significantly reduced. For example, a creatinine of 1.6 mg / dL means that more than 50% of the new function has been reduced.
Does one kidney function in both kidneys cause kidney failure?
No. Even if only one of the two kidneys lose their function or only one is removed, the function of the whole kidney is not greatly affected.
Acute kidney injury
The kidneys can be functioning in hours or days, or even in the short term. This reduction in renal function was previously referred to as acute renal failure (ARF), but recently acute kidney damage, says best nephrologist in Delhi.
Chronic kidney disease
The loss of irreversible kidney function that progresses gradually over several months or years is called chronic kidney disease (CKD). Reduction of kidney function persists until kidney function is almost gone. This progression of kidney function, the stage of life-threatening kidney disease called End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).
What is acute kidney damage?
Acute renal damage is a temporary reduction in renal function or loss that occurs within a very short period of time (hours, days, or weeks) and may be reversible.
What causes acute kidney damage?
There are many causes, the main causes are explained by top nephrologist in Delhi as follows.
1. Reduced blood flow to the kidney: severe diarrhea due to diarrhea, loss of blood, burns
2. Severe infection, severe disease or major surgery
3. Sudden urinary excretion disorder: kidney stone or urinary stone causing urinary tract obstruction
4. Other causes: malaria, leptospirosis, snake seizures, other kidney diseases, pregnancy, drug side effects or complications (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory, aminoglycoside, herbal medicine)
Symptoms of acute kidney injury
In acute kidney damage, sudden renal failure causes fluid retention, water and electrolyte impairment, which can cause the patient to feel various symptoms early on.
The type and severity of symptoms vary from patient to patient, says kidney specialist in Delhi.
These symptoms include:
1. Symptoms (diarrhea, loss of blood, fever, chills, etc.) due to basal conditions that cause acute kidney damage
2. Decreased urine volume (some patients may have normal urine volume)
3. Weight gain due to ankle or foot edema and fluid retention
4. Decreased appetite, nausea, vomiting, hiccups, fatigue, lethargy and ritual chaos
5. Serious and life-threatening symptoms such as dyspnea, chest pain, convulsions or coma, heartbeat due to blood vomiting or hyperkalemia
6. In the early stages of acute kidney injury, some patients have no symptoms and may be found incidentally on another blood test.
Diagnosis of acute kidney injury
Many patients who have been diagnosed with acute kidney injury may have nonspecific symptoms or no symptoms. Therefore, when acute kidney damage is likely to occur or if there are any symptoms associated with it, you should always be suspected and tested for acute kidney damage.
Acute kidney damage is diagnosed by blood tests (elevation of serum creatinine or urea nitrogen), small bowel examination, urinalysis or renal ultrasound (laparoscopy). Additional medical examinations and physical examinations can be used to differentiate causes and to perform additional tests to predict the complications and progression of acute renal failure
Treatment of acute kidney injury
Proper management of most patients can restore acute kidney damage. However, severe acute kidney damage can be life-threatening if treatment is delayed or if it is not treated properly.
Symptoms of acute kidney damage are caused by a causative disease or by severe renal insufficiency.
Important measures for acute kidney damage
1. Causes of Acute Kidney Damage
2. Medication and Conservative Therapy
3. Nutrition consultation
4. Dialysis
5. Kidney transplant
1. Causes of Acute Kidney Damage
- Identifying the cause of the disease and treating it is the most important thing in the correction of acute kidney damage.
- In particular, treatment of underlying diseases such as hypotension, infection, and urinary tract obstruction is essential for recovery from acute bean injury.
- Such treatments prevent further kidney damage and restore kidney function, says the best kidney specialist in Delhi.
2. Medication and Conservative Therapy
- The purpose of medication and conservative therapy is to protect the kidneys and prevent or treat the complications of acute kidney damage.
- In this process, drugs that are harmful to the kidneys (eg non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) should be avoided.
- Diuretics can help treat acute kidney damage by increasing the amount of urine and preventing excessive accumulation of water in the body, such as pulmonary edema, which can cause dyspnea.
- Other medications can be used to lower or raise blood pressure, control nausea and vomiting, control electrolyte imbalance, and prevent or control cramps.
Acute kidney damage can recover to proper treatment if the cause is resolved.
3. Nutrition consultation
- Properly balancing water, potassium, and salt when you have acute kidney damage can prevent or reduce symptoms or complications of acute kidney damage.
- Moisture Restriction: Measure the amount of water you ingest daily, and measure and balance your urine volume and body minutes. Moisture restriction can prevent complications such as dyspnea and edema.
- Limitations of potassium intake: Potassium foods (eg, fruits, fruit juices, dried fruits, etc.) can cause elevated potassium levels in the blood, which can lead to very serious complications and should be avoided.
- Limitations of salt intake: Limiting salt helps relieve thirst and reduce complications and edema, such as hypertension and dyspnea. 2 Take proper nutrition and calories.
4. Dialysis
Patients with acute renal damage occasionally require treatment to replace the renal function until renal function is restored, in which case dialysis can be performed, says top kidney specialist in Delhi.
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is an artificial process to replace the function of damaged kidneys. It may be necessary to maintain life for patients with severe renal failure. The most important function of dialysis is to remove uremic substances and excess water and correct acid and electrolyte disorders. There are two methods of dialysis: hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.
When do you need dialysis for acute kidney damage?
Dialysis is needed among patients with acute renal failure who are not responding to appropriate medication and conservative treatment but are suffering from symptoms and complications. Dialysis is needed when you have the most frequent severe water overload, uncontrolled hyperkalemia, and severe acidosis.
How much dialysis is needed for acute kidney damage?
- Patients with acute kidney damage require temporary dialysis treatment (hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis) until renal function is restored.
- Patients with acute kidney damage usually recover within 1-4 weeks and during this period, dialysis therapy may be needed.
- Dialysis treatment is temporary because most of the patients with acute kidney damage recover kidney function. Therefore, fear of permanent dialysis can cause life-threatening events if dialysis treatment is delayed.
5. Kidney transplant
When medicine, diet control or dialysis does not work to restore kidney function in chronic kidney disease, there is only one option left to a patient that is kidney transplant in Delhi. In India, only a deceased person who was willing to donate a kidney after death or relative of a patient can donate a kidney. So, doctor for kidney transplant in Delhi suggests patient and his / her family member for kidney donation as one kidney can do the same function in the body which normally does both kidneys in our body.
Prevention of acute kidney injury
- Patients with factors that can cause acute kidney damage to correct early causes of acute kidney damage and often measure kidney function.
- Prevent hypotension and correct electrolyte and water imbalance.
Avoid drugs that can harm the kidneys and treat them appropriately for infection or reduced urine volume.