The kidneys are a significant paired organ of the human urinary system. Despite their small size (about the size of a fist), they perform two main vital functions. The first is the absolute filtration of blood and fluid from unnecessary substances, the second is the formation of urine and its removal from the body simultaneously with harmful products and toxins. Impaired kidney function can lead to serious pathologies and diseases. In order to prevent such consequences, it is necessary to understand the principle of operation of the mechanism, the causes of the failure, symptoms and diagnostics, as well as learn how to normalize the functioning of the system.
Prostration
The accumulation of toxic breakdown products in the blood primarily negatively affects the central nervous system. Patients complain of constant fatigue, lethargy, memory loss and difficulty concentrating.
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Deterioration of skin condition
The elasticity of the skin is closely related to the water-salt balance. With kidney failure, excess water accumulates in the body, and the concentration of trace elements and nutrients decreases. The skin immediately reacts to this: it becomes pale and dry. Patients suffer from constant itching.
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Functions
To more fully understand the risks of kidney dysfunction and how it manifests itself, you need to understand exactly what functions the kidneys perform. The main tasks of this body include:
- excretory (or excretory);
- osmoregulatory;
- ion-regulating;
- secretory;
- metabolic;
- nitrogen excretory;
- participation in hematopoiesis.
As a result of the secretory function, hormones and biologically active substances are released, which play a role in the regulation of blood pressure, hematopoiesis, bone metabolism, etc.
The metabolic function is realized in the metabolism of nutrients and carbohydrates. The kidneys produce glucose and other organic substances. They also take part in protein metabolism and the synthesis of components for intercellular membranes.
Osmoregulatory and ion-regulatory functions consist in the concentrating ability of the kidneys, namely, in maintaining water and electrolyte balance by regulating the secretion and excretion of electrolytes (sodium, potassium and chlorine, phosphates, etc.).
The role of the nitrogen excretory function is the excretion of the end products of nitrogen metabolism: urea, creatinine, uric acid, etc.
Change in urination pattern
Depending on the cause and stage of development of the disease, various symptoms may be observed: frequent urination, false urges, increased or decreased urine output. Sometimes there are cases of involuntary or painful urination. Patients complain of aching, dull pain in the lumbar region.
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Symptoms of urinary system dysfunction
Each person knows his usual state, the nature of the discharge, and any change should raise questions and suspicions.
Why don't the kidneys work well? The following are signs of poor kidney function:
- Pain in the lumbar region.
- High blood pressure. This fact indicates that the organ cannot cope with the removal of salt and water. This point applies to those who do not have problems with blood pressure.
- Sleep disturbance. Insomnia is a companion to poor functioning of the paired organ and can act in tandem with respiratory arrest during sleep.
- Apathy, loss of strength, lethargy. This is due to an increase in toxins in the blood vessels.
- Deterioration of the skin condition. Pale and dry skin indicate a change in the condition of the kidneys, as the water and salt balance is disturbed.
- Modification of urination patterns. There is frequent urge and an increase or decrease in the amount of urine produced.
- Presence of blood in the urine.
- Presence of foam. Due to kidney failure, the presence of protein in the urine is detected, which causes bubbles and foam to form.
- Decreased appetite, nausea and vomiting. These signs are justified by high intoxication.
- Puffy look. Caused by excess fluid and loss of protein.
- Muscle cramps. This happens due to deprivation of the body of potassium and sodium.
- Swelling of the legs.
Symptoms of kidney disease are expressed by a number of signs, and it is not always possible to predict their sequence. According to statistics, kidney pathologies are observed among 3.5% of the population.
Presence of blood in urine
Normally, the kidneys filter only excess fluid and waste products from the blood. When the kidney filters (nephrons) malfunction, blood cells begin to enter the urine. Most often these are red blood cells (then the urine takes on a characteristic reddish tint), but sometimes leukocytes are also found.
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Diagnostics of kidney function
What to do if your kidneys are not functioning well or what to do if only one kidney is not working? It is necessary to contact specialists and under no circumstances engage in self-medication. In the laboratory, the doctor will be able to carry out the following diagnostic methods:
- a general urine test, which will reveal signs of the inflammatory process;
- biochemical blood test, which determines the increase in urinary concentration and creatinine in the blood composition;
- general blood analysis;
- test for the presence of protein in urine;
- biopsy of renal tissue, which makes it possible to find out the morphological type of glomerulonephritis;
- Ultrasound of this organ, thanks to which you can consider all the necessary nuances, for example, an increase in size.
The appearance of foam in the urine
In a healthy person, protein can be detected in urine only in trace amounts. In case of kidney failure, a large amount of albumin (the protein that makes up the bulk of a chicken egg) passes from the blood into the urine. At the moment of urination, the formation of bubbles and even quite persistent foam is observed.
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Recommendations for the treatment of diseases of the urinary system
Treatment of kidney diseases should be done under the supervision of experienced and qualified doctors who will know the characteristics of the patient’s body. However, you can improve their condition on your own by following some recommendations:
- Limit your intake of salt, meat and exclude canned food and fast food.
- Monitor your weight by choosing a healthy diet.
- Include more liquid in your diet in the form of water, tea, compote.
- Give up bad habits and limit alcohol consumption.
- Include physical activity. If visiting the gym is impossible for some reason, then walking or avoiding the elevator would be an excellent substitute.
- Limit the use of painkillers.
- Use protective agents against heavy metals, paints and solvents.
- Dress warmly to avoid hypothermia.
- Monitor blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels.
- Regularly undergo basic tests to monitor your health.
Muscle cramps
Many patients suffering from kidney failure complain that their legs are cramping. These are calf muscle cramps due to an imbalance of sodium and potassium in the body. The “culprit” of this situation is often kidney failure.
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Causes of poor kidney function
Kidney dysfunction can occur for various reasons, ranging from congenital to acquired. Congenital impairment of kidney function most often occurs when the disease is hereditarily transmitted from mother to child or when the formation of an organ is disrupted during intrauterine development.
On a note! Acquired pathologies are influenced by many reasons, for example, lifestyle or other diseases that a person has.
The main and most common reasons include the following, which provoke and cause severe renal dysfunction:
- Alcohol abuse . Alcohol causes dehydration of the body, which causes the blood to thicken. As a result, the organ receives a colossal load and is forced to work in emergency mode.
- Smoking . Due to the fact that toxic substances enter the human body along with tobacco smoke, the kidneys are forced to take on a double blow and speed up their performance in order to quickly cleanse the blood.
- Obesity . People suffering from this problem are more at risk of dysfunction, because from excess fat tissue certain components begin to form and be released, which lead to a decrease in tone in the blood vessels. At this time, excess fat contributes to mechanical pressure on the organs of the urinary system, making it difficult to perform basic duties.
- Rapid weight loss . Since the kidneys are located in a protective capsule of fat, a sharp decrease in weight leads to a thinning of this layer, which makes it vulnerable to external factors.
- Hypothermia . A common cause of acute pyelonephritis.
- Diabetes . A heavy load due to high blood sugar leads to exhaustion of the system.
- Hypertension . High blood pressure has an unfavorable effect on the condition of the renal vessels, which damages them and leads to disruption of the entire urinary system.
- Unhealthy food . Fast food, processed foods and soda are the main health hazards.
- Having promiscuous sex life . Without the use of contraceptive methods, incoming infections affect the entire existing system and lead to inflammation of the paired organ.
- Late pregnancy . In the literal sense of the word, the kidneys do the work for two, hence the overload occurs, the expectant mother suffers from dysfunction and edema.
Decreased appetite
The decrease in interest in food is explained by general intoxication caused by the accumulation of breakdown products. In parallel, phenomena such as nausea, vomiting, and dyspepsia may occur. As the disease progresses, symptoms of anemia and impaired vascular tone occur.
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In acute renal failure, health deteriorates so quickly that the person almost immediately falls into the hands of doctors and receives qualified help. If the disease is chronic, the destruction of renal tissue (parenchyma) can occur for quite a long time almost asymptomatically. In order not to trigger the disease, you need to listen very carefully to the signals that the body gives. If you have at least a few of the described symptoms, you should urgently consult a doctor and undergo the examination recommended by him.
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A little anatomy and physiology
The urinary system includes the following organs:
- kidneys (urine formation occurs in them);
- ureters (through which urine enters the bladder);
- bladder (urine accumulates in it);
- urethra (through which urine is expelled).
The most important role in this system belongs to the kidneys.
The kidneys are paired bean-shaped organs located behind the peritoneum in the lumbar region. Normally, the left kidney lies slightly higher than the right kidney, which is explained by the presence of the liver on the right side. Each organ has a connective tissue capsule and under it parenchyma, in which a system of tubules and renal calyces are located, merging into the renal pelvis. Directly in the parenchyma, blood is filtered and primary urine is formed. As it passes further through the renal tubular system, beneficial elements are reabsorbed. Substances that the body does not need are excreted in secondary urine through the ureters, bladder and urethra.
Thus, thanks to the storage-excretory system, the removal of harmful and toxic substances and excess fluid volumes from the body is ensured.
