What Are The Abnormal Condition Of The Kidney?

What are abnormal conditions of the kidney?

Abnormal conditions of the kidney are diseases that target the kidneys, affecting their ability to perform functions such as:

• Filtering waste products and excess salt and/or water out of the blood

• Production of hormones

• Regulation of acid base in the blood

Types of kidney diseases

Below are some of the abnormal conditions that can affect the kidney.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD)

Chronic kidney disease¹ is a condition that causes long-lasting damage to your kidneys and does not get better with time. When chronic disease eventually becomes severe, kidneys lose their ability to function and ultimately stop working, a condition known as kidney failure.²

At this stage, filtering can only occur artificially through a dialysis machine that filters excess fluid and waste products from your blood. Dialysis is not a cure and would need to be conducted regularly for your survival, at least until you get a kidney transplant.

Polycystic kidney disease

This is a genetic disorder that causes the growth of cysts in the kidneys, impeding the organ's ability to filter blood. Polycystic kidney disease³ (PKD) can be autosomal dominant or autosomal recessive. In other words, it can be inherited.

Autosomal dominant PKD can only be detected in adulthood and does not present symptoms until the cysts are at least half an inch. On the other hand, autosomal recessive PKD is detectable from the earliest months of life, even in the womb. It can also affect the liver, kidneys, heart, and eyes.

Kidney stones

Kidney stones⁴ occur when minerals and other material in the blood solidify to form pebble-like material in the kidney. Kidney stones rarely pose long-term health problems to your kidneys if treated by a healthcare professional. However, passing these stones out during urination can be painful.

Glomerular disease

Glomerular disease⁵ is a general term to describe diseases that attack the glomeruli, the units responsible for blood filtration. The two major diseases that affect the glomeruli are:

• Glomerulonephritis: This occurs when the glomeruli become inflamed. This can be due to multiple conditions, including post infections, certain medications, or autoimmune disease.

• Glomerulosclerosis: This refers to the scarring and hardening of the glomeruli. This can be caused by chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.

Simple kidney cysts

Not to be confused with polycystic kidney disease, simple kidney cysts are harmless fluid-filled cysts that can form in one or both of your kidneys without enlarging or replacing the structure of the kidney.

They also do not interfere with kidney function, as is the case with polycystic kidney disease, which can cause chronic kidney disease when left untreated.

Urinary tract infections

These bacterial infections affect the urinary system, most commonly the urethra and bladder. When left untreated, these infections can progress to the kidneys, resulting in a kidney infection.

Who is at risk of getting a kidney disorder?

Generally, your chances of developing kidney disease increase if you have:

• Diabetes

• High blood pressure

• Family members with chronic kidney disease or a genetic condition within their kidney

You are also more likely to get kidney disease if you are elderly. At the same time, the condition is more common in people of African American, American Indian, Hispanic and Asian descent.

Common symptoms of kidney disease

Kidney disease is a general term that describes conditions affecting the kidney. Symptoms may thus vary depending on the condition. For instance, you may experience chills, fever, and painful urination if you have a kidney disease resulting from a urinary tract infection.

On the other hand, sharp pain in your back, side, lower abdomen, or groin, accompanied by blood in urine, may indicate kidney stones.

However, some symptoms occur for all diseases due to their interference with kidney function. These include:

• Muscle cramps

• Tiredness

• Poor quality sleep

• Swollen feet or difficulty breathing

• Frequent urination

• Dry skin and itch

• Loss of appetite

Causes of kidney disease

Diabetes and high blood pressure are the leading causes of chronic kidney disease.

In the case of diabetes, there is too much glucose in your blood. Over time, the high sugar concentration in the blood can clog and narrow the filtering units in the kidney. When these tiny blood vessels are damaged, they allow albumin to pass into the urine instead of getting reabsorbed back into the blood.

The presence of albumin causes a condition known as albuminuria.⁶

High blood pressure can cause kidney disease by damaging the blood vessels in the kidneys, such that they cannot remove waste and extra fluid from the body. Excess fluid is retained in the blood, causing further increases in blood pressure.

Other causes of kidney disease include:

• A genetic disorder

• Exposure to toxic substances such as lead

• An infection

• Drugs

• Conditions such as lupus, renal artery stenosis, IgA vasculitis, and Alport syndrome

How is kidney disease diagnosed?

Doctors can determine whether you have kidney disease using any of the following tests:

Blood test

The test, known as the glomerular filtration rate⁷ (GFR), measures creatinine levels in the blood and uses it to calculate your current rate. Creatinine is a protein resulting from the breakdown of muscles in your body. A GFR rate of 60 or above is normal, while a rate below might suggest that you have kidney disease. If the test reads below 15, you have kidney failure.

Urine test

Doctors can use your urine sample to test for albumin, a protein typically found in the blood, but this can pass into the urine if your kidney is not functioning well. A chemically treated dipstick is usually inserted into the urine sample. It changes color if albumin is present in the sample. They can also look for blood and signs of infection at the same time.

Kidney biopsy

A kidney biopsy⁸ is a procedure in which your doctor removes a small kidney tissue while you are sedated and then observes this tissue for kidney damage or disease.

Imaging

Your doctor could also request an ultrasound and CT scans to view the size and structure of your kidney. Imaging⁹ helps detect tumors or alterations in your kidney structure that may suggest kidney disease.

Managing and treating conditions of the kidney

Treatment of kidney disease mainly entails dealing with the underlying cause, either by curing or managing it.

Surgery or draining

Conditions such as kidney stones are treatable through removal or breaking up the stones into smaller pieces and allowing you to pass them naturally.

Simple cysts do not require treatment if they do not cause any symptoms. However, if they cause pain or block the passage of urine, a healthcare professional can drain them by injecting a long needle through your skin into the cyst with the visual aid of ultrasound. If the cyst is large, the doctor may recommend surgery to drain the cysts and remove the tissue.

Taking drugs and medication to control blood pressure and diabetes can also help slow down the progression of kidney disease. Doctors may prescribe medicines to control your cholesterol if they suspect it might interfere with your kidney health.

Adjustments to your diet and lifestyle are also vital in preventing underlying causes of kidney disease. Therefore, it would be best to observe the following to stay healthy.

• Limit your salt intake

• Reduce your alcohol consumption

• Exercise regularly

• Observe a healthy weight

• Quit smoking

Dialysis

If the kidney disease has rendered the kidneys functionless, doctors recommend that your blood be filtered artificially through a machine. Dialysis is not a form of permanent treatment, and you will have to undergo it regularly, at least until you get a kidney transplant.

Dialysis could be in the form of hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis.

Hemodialysis

In this intervention, the healthcare professional injects two needles into your arm and then attaches the needles to tubes connected to the dialysis machine.

One of the needles takes blood out of the body while the other injects it back. During hemodialysis,¹⁰ the blood passes through a dialyzer, an artificial filter outside your body, before returning to the body. The machine will monitor your blood pressure regularly to try and help gauge how quickly the dialysis can proceed.

Peritoneal dialysis

This form of dialysis uses the peritoneum, a membrane lining your abdomen, as a filter. A surgeon places a soft tube called a catheter into your belly a few weeks before the peritoneal dialysis.

During peritoneal dialysis,¹¹ a dialyzate solution is emptied from a bag into your abdomen through the implanted catheter tube. The solution absorbs waste and extra fluid before being drained from the belly into a bag. The process is repeated at least 4–6 times daily.

You could fill your abdomen and drain it repeatedly during the day (continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis) or have a machine cycle the fluid in and out of your belly at night while asleep (continuous cycler-assisted peritoneal dialysis).

When to visit a doctor

If you have conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure that predispose you to the risk of kidney disease, then you should have your blood and urine tested for creatinine and albumin, respectively, to determine your kidney function. It is wise to be proactive, as kidney problems do not show symptoms until they are advanced.

The lowdown

Abnormal conditions of the kidney is a term that refers to diseases such as chronic kidney disease, kidney stones, cysts, and glomerular disease that affect the kidney's ability to filter blood. While the condition can affect anyone, people with diabetes, high blood pressure, and the elderly are at a higher risk. Your genetics and family history can also heighten your probability of developing the condition. 

You may experience muscle cramps, fatigue, sleeping difficulties, and frequent urination if you have the disease. Doctors can ascertain the facts of your condition by conducting blood and urine tests, an image examination, or a kidney biopsy. 

If you have a form of kidney disease, doctors will act accordingly to treat it through surgery, draining, or administering drugs to control underlying causes such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Dialysis is also a timely intervention if the doctor concludes that your kidneys have stopped working.

While some factors are out of your control, you should be proactive in preventing the condition by eating a healthy diet and exercising. Going for regular check-ups if you are at risk of developing the disease is important as your doctor may be able to pick up any issues early.