What is Chronic Kidney Failure?

Our kidneys are essential in cleaning our body. It cleanses dirt, excess fluids and wastes in the blood and eliminates it in the form of urine. One kind of kidney disorder is Chronic kidney failure. It is a condition in which there is gradual damage to the kidneys. Consequently, it leads to accumulation of wastes in the blood.

You may hardly feel the symptoms of this condition in early stages of chronic kidney failure. Honestly speaking, it is not obvious until the disease greatly causes defect to the kidneys. Some of the symptoms of chronic kidney failure are oliguria which is scanty urination, anuria or the absence of urination, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, weakness, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, swelling of feet and ankles, decreased mental ability and lastly, irritation.

The diseases which can cause chronic kidney failure are diabetes, enlarged prostate, high blood pressure, kidney stones, bladder or kidney cancer, polycystic kidney disease, pyelonephritis, lupus, vasculitis, lupus, scleroderma and renal artery stenosis.

Moreover, the chances of chronic kidney failure increases if you have heart problem, high cholesterol level, with family history of kidney disease and if you are 60 years old and above.

Doctor normally try to slow the progression of the disease by means of treating the underlying cause or risk factors mentioned above. But once the patient reached end-stage kidney disease, he needs dialysis or a kidney transplant in order to survive.

To prevent this disease it is advisable not to take many over-the-counter painkillers such as aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen which are known to be nephrotoxic. If you have a history of kidney disease , consult your doctor. Also eat balanced diet and make sure that you drink recommended number of glasses of water a day. Do regular exercise and avoid drinking and smoking.