Chronic Kidney Disease: Preventive Measures

We all know that kidneys are a pair of organs, considered as one of the vital body organs since they are responsible to filter out wastes and extra fluids from the blood as urine and help maintain a healthy balance of water, salts and minerals in your blood. Simply put, kidneys help cleanse our body from toxins. However, when one of the kidneys stops functioning, it eventually leads to kidney failure.

An interesting fact about kidneys is that they have greater capacity to do work than needed. They can perform their function even if they are mostly damaged and you can still be fine and healthy. Problem arises if the kidneys severely damaged and then it’s considered as kidney failure.

 

There are two types of kidney failure

1.Acute Kidney Failure: It occurs when kidneys stop functioning suddenly due to some problems.

2.Chronic Kidney Disease: Often termed as CKD occurs when your kidneys cannot function properly and cannot filter blood. This generally happens slowly over a long period of time and thus termed as chronic. CKD can result in many severe health problems. Kidney disease increases the risk of stroke or heart attack. High Blood Pressure can develop from kidney disease. High BP causes damage to kidneys and do not let them functioning properly.

 

Symptoms of Chronic Kidney Disease

It may happen that damaged kidneys do not show any symptoms at first since, kidneys function quite well even with damage. However, with prolonged kidney failures, you can experience multiple symptoms. The main symptoms of kidney failure are:

1.Less urine output

2.Loss of appetite

3.Swelling in the body

4.Feeling tired

5.Nausea & vomiting

6.Headaches

7.Sleep problems

8.Dry skin

9.Metallic tastes in the mouth

10.Chest pain

11.Muscle cramps

12.Shortness of breath

13.Itching or numbness

14.Trouble in concentrating

15.Weight loss

If you face these symptoms, get it checked through experienced doctors to know about any kidney problems and get them treated at the earliest.

You are more likely to develop kidney disease if you have

1.Heart disease

2.Diabetes

3.A family history of kidney disease

4.High blood pressure

 

Manage your Chronic Kidney Disease

If, by chance you have CKD, follow some steps to protect your kidneys from further damage. These steps will not only protect your kidneys but also help you prevent heart diseases, improve your overall health and so on. These steps are:

1.Keep a check on your blood pressure

2.If you have diabetes, keep a close look at it

3.Take medicines as prescribed

4.Drink plenty of water

5.Have a balanced and healthy diet

6.Check weight gain

7.Get sound sleep

8.Do physical exercise

9.Manage stress and depression

10.Quit smoking

11.Limit alcohol consumption

 

Chronic Kidney Disease- Preventive measures

Given below are some essential tips to prevent CKD and help keep kidneys healthy.

1.Manage blood sugar: Diabetes increases the risk of kidney failure and heart attack. Thus, it’s very important to keep blood sugar levels under control and see that’s it does not fluctuate. Keep a check on what you eat, avoid sweets, and do regular exercise.

2.Make healthy food choice: Choose food that are good for your heart and your body. Eat fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free diets. Cut down on salts and sugar intake. Eat boiled chicken and fish and avoid fried items. Choose foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.

3.Drink plenty of water: To avoid kidney disease, drink plenty of water and fluids. Taking adequate amount of water helps clean the body from toxins. Dehydration is not good, it can decrease the blood flow to the kidney and thereby damages it.

4.Maintain right weight: Obesity is the cause of many illnesses and also increases the chance of kidney failure. Try to maintain your body weight by eating healthy meals. Include more fibre and protein in your diet and avoid saturated fat, salt and sugar.

5.Avoid smoking & alcohol intake: Stop smoking and also stop taking other tobacco products. Consuming excessive alcohol can lead to increase in blood pressure, adding extra calories and even dehydration. Limit your drink to keep your kidneys healthy.

6.Manage stress: Learn to manage stress and be relaxed. This helps to improve emotional and physical health thereby controlling kidney diseases.

7.Make physical activity your daily routine: Practicing physical activity on a regular basis helps reduce stress and keeps your mind, body and soul at peace. Be active, do yoga, do physical activity… these will help you keep fit and healthy.

8.Get enough sleep: Try to get a sound sleep every day. 7 to 8 hours of sleep per day is good enough. This will reduce your stress and tiredness, and a s a result will keep you fit and away from kidney diseases.

 

Conclusion

So, if you have Chronic Kidney Disease, manage and follow the prevention rules to avoid CKD. At the same time, do consult a well-experienced nephrologist to manage your CKD and live a healthy life.

 

Disclaimer

Though all attempts are made to provide correct information on the subject, inadvertent & typographical errors arising out of manual intervention cannot be ruled out. It is requested to bring any such discrepancies to the notice of the blogger for correction