What causes Kidney Failure

One of the number one questions that I get asked almost all the time is how do I go into kidney failure? what caused my kidneys to fail? was there any signs or symptoms that told me it was coming on?

I'll try to answer some of these questions in my blog today.

To understand kidney failure you first have to understand what the kidneys do. The kidneys monitor body fluid along with the concentrations of sodium and potassium and the acid base balance of your body. They filter waste products of body metabolism like urea from protein and uric acid from DNA breakdown.

When blood flows into the kidney centers in the kidney decide how much water to turn into urine as well as with what concentration of electrolytes. The best example to use if the person is dehydrated from exercise or being ill the kidneys will retain as much water as possible and the urine is very very concentrated. When you're extremely hydrated your urine is more dilute, nearly clear. the kidneys also are the source of erythropoietin, a hormone that stimulates your bone marrow to make red blood cells. Most people are familiar with EPO from its extensive coverage in the media as a performance-enhancing drug.

Now that we know what the kidneys do hear are some of the reasons kidneys fail. Kidney failure can be chronic or acute. Low blood flow due to loss of blood, dehydration, and various medications can all cause a slowdown in renal function. Sepsis, the body's immune system being overwhelmed by mass infection, can shut down the kidneys.

The most common causes of renal failure are uncontrolled diabetes and uncontrolled high blood pressure.

In my case I have had high blood pressure since the day I was born.

Were there any symptoms or signs? Yes there were. But I didn't know it at the time. The first was the dark circles under my eyes which developed at around age 15. Also in my late teens it was not uncommon for me to sleep 10 to 12 hours a day. This is not abnormal for a teenager but continuing into my 20s it should have been an indicator. Slowly between my 20s in the 30s I became intolerant of certain foods. I could not eat bananas and tomatoes would make me sick. Now I understand it was an overload of potassium in my body. At age 31, I dropped from 165 pounds down 150 and seemingly overnight my strength went away. I could not even left my lightly packed suitcase. Days after my strength leaving me, I was in the hospital in full renal failure. I had an ammonia taste in my mouth but no discoloring of the skin  no discoloring of the whites of my eyes.

The cause and symptoms of renal failure are different for everyone. it is a good idea to have your doctor do a simple urinalysis for protein to determine whether or not your kidneys are functioning as they should.

Be well and remember knowledge is power!

Red