There are three signs of kidney failure, the doctor reminds: once the third one appears, it indicates that the condition is very serious
The kidney is one of the most important metabolic organs in the human body, but with the development of society, the incidence of kidney disease is increasing year by year. According to a study by the International Society of Nephrology, the number of people suffering from chronic renal failure in the United States is the highest in the world, and the number of new patients with chronic renal failure is about 7.6% every year. The number of patients with kidney disease in China accounts for about 3% to 5% of the total number of patients, but only about 10% of these patients can clearly know that they have the disease. This shows that kidney disease always arrives quietly, and some patients have no way to describe their symptoms. Routine examinations, such as routine urinalysis, renal function tests, and B-ultrasound examinations, are also required to confirm the diagnosis.
stages of kidney failure
Renal failure has a long course of onset and is generally divided into five stages. Stages 1 and 2 are usually classified as early stage, when the damage to the basement membrane of the kidney is relatively mild, and the renal function has not been abnormal, so no obvious symptoms appear. In the third stage, the kidney damage is aggravated, and the renal function is in the compensatory stage. At this time, the symptoms are more obvious, such as proteinuria, increased blood pressure, and local edema. Stage 4 renal failure occurs. In this stage, although the kidneys begin to fail but the function is not completely lost, the kidneys still retain some metabolic functions but are already in the decompensated stage. Renal failure is accompanied by serious complications, such as hematuria, systemic edema, and hyperkalemia. Stage 5 complete loss of kidney function, also known as complete renal failure, is a life-threatening condition in which the patient urgently needs kidney dialysis or a kidney transplant.
The prevention and treatment of renal failure is traceable. Once the following three signals appear, the body should be vigilant, especially the third one indicates that the condition is very serious.
- Abnormal changes in urine
The most noticeable early symptoms of renal failure patients are changes in urine. A normal healthy adult urinates about 1.5 liters a day, and a child urinates about 1/3 of that of an adult. Normal people's urine color is pale yellow when drinking water is insufficient, and the color is clear and odorless after supplementing drinking water. Patients with renal failure often experience dry mouth and thirst, increase water intake but decrease urine output, which is slightly red in color and foamy. This is because the abnormal renal metabolic function results in enhanced glomerular filtration, protein and some red blood cells are filtered out, and the renal tubular reabsorption function is weakened.
- Elevated blood pressure and dyslipidemia
Renal failure causes renal cell fibrosis, and metabolic waste cannot be smoothly excreted and deposited in the renal blood vessel wall, resulting in decreased renal blood flow and vascular stenosis, resulting in secondary hypertension and hyperlipidemia. In the acute stage, blood pressure lowering treatment is required in a timely manner. The occurrence of this situation also indicates that the patient's renal failure has further aggravated and the condition has deteriorated.
- Systemic edema and skin itching
Edema may also occur in the early stage of renal failure, but it is manifested as local edema, and in the late stage of renal failure, generalized edema occurs. This is due to the loss of renal metabolic function resulting in sodium and potassium imbalance, water and sodium retention, and the body's water cannot be discharged normally and retained in cells, resulting in systemic edema. Also, because the metabolic waste cannot be discharged normally, it can only be circulated in the body with the blood, resulting in itchy skin and dry hair. These two symptoms are already manifestations of advanced kidney failure.
To sum up, renal failure is a late result of chronic kidney disease. Once renal failure occurs, it is quite difficult to treat, and the pain suffered by patients is very tolerable. Therefore, the best treatment period for renal failure is before stage 3. The sooner the treatment is detected, the better the effect. Once the optimal treatment period is missed, irreversible results will be caused.