Nephropathy is also known as renal disease. It is any type of damage or disease relating to the kidneys. Though not everyone with diabetes has nephropathy, however, diabetic nephropathy can cause kidney failure.

How does diabetes affect the kidney?
Kidneys are responsible for taking waste out from your blood. They have a lot of tiny blood vessels to do this. High blood sugar may kill such blood vessels. Once these blood vessels are destroyed, the kidneys may not function as well or it may even lead to kidney failure.

What increases your risk of getting diabetic nephropathy?
There are several factors which increase your risk of getting diabetic nephropathy including: \
1. High blood pressure
2. High cholesterol
3. Smoking
4. Being native american, african american or of hispanic origin, for whom risk factors have proved to be magnified
5. If you have family history of diabetic nephropathy

Symptoms and diagnosis:
There are very few noticeable symptoms, which appear when you have diabetic nephropathy, except swelling in your arms and legs. The diagnosis is done by checking for a type of protein in your urine known as albumin, which is not supposed to be there. Getting the diagnosis done early is crucial.

Preventive measures
You can prevent kidney damage by doing the following:
1. Keeping your blood sugar levels under control - keep hba1c &lt; 6-7%
2. Keeping your blood pressure under control in the range of 130/80
3. Eating healthy food
4. Exercising regularly
5. Not eating too much protein
6. Not eating too much salt
7. Reducing smoke or excessive tobacco usage

Medicines for treatment
If you do get diabetic nephropathy, here are some medicines, which can help cure it
1. Ace inhibitors which are also called angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors
2. Angiotensin ii receptor blockers (arbs)

Possible complications
1. Blood pressure may rise
2. Triglyceride levels and cholesterol levels may rise.

All About Diabetic Nephropathy

What is diabetic kidney disease?
Diabetic nephropathy, also known as Diabetic Kidney Disease is a type of complication that occurs in people who are a victim to diabetes. That does not mean every individual with diabetes will have this disease, but if the necessary precautions are not taken, then it can lead to this disease. Diabetic Kidney Disease is characterised by excessive amounts of albumin as well as protein in the urine. In diabetics, certain chemicals in the kidneys shoot up and hamper the function of the glomeruli.

The glomeruli are the main units of kidneys that are responsible for the filtration. Diabetic kidney diseases result in the leakage of essential products like albumin and protein into the urine. When this happens, the protein levels in the blood reduce. If proper precautions are not taken and treatment is not done, then the disease may worsen and the condition will progress to  end-stage renal failure .

How to avoid diabetic kidney disease?
The best way to treat diabetic kidney disease is to prevent it in the first place. Foremost, you should prevent the risk factors in order to avoid coming down with Diabetic Nephropathy. The risk factors include high blood pressure, high levels of blood sugar, dyslipidemia and smoking. Avoid excess of following 5S Sugar, Salt, smoke, stress and sedentary life.

Intensive control over blood sugar
According to certain clinical trials, maintaining and keeping a good control over your blood sugar levels drastically reduces the risk of developing diabetic kidney disease. If you are diabetic, make it a point to get your regular checkups and maintain your diet to prevent the levels of sugar in your blood to shoot up. Other things that you must keep in your mind are to take proper medication that has been prescribed to you. You must adhere to your treatment plans and follow the guidelines that have been given to you.

Intensive control over blood pressure
Hypertension is common in patients who are diabetic. Hypertension alone can result in end-organ damage due to excess pressure build up in the blood vessels. Hypertension associated with hyperglycaemia (diabetes) is a ticking bomb for your kidneys. Hence it is advised to keep your blood pressure under control as well to prevent diabetic kidney disease.

Diabetic nephropathy is not something that happens to every individual with diabetes, so if you follow the above simple tips, the chances of the same reduce, and thus the quality of your life goes up. Many diabetics will get kidney failure due to causes other than diabetes and that may be treatable. Hence early consult with nephrologist is a must.

Diabetic Kidney Disease - How It Can Be Prevented?

As we all are aware that waste products in the blood are passed through urine. This filtering process is done by the kidneys as it separates the waste products including minerals and salts, which have to be passed out through urine. Many times, these minerals and salts get stuck in your urinary tract and over a long period, this forms kidney stones. They can vary in size from a ping pong ball to the size of a sugar crystal. They are not noticed till the time they cause a blockage. Sometimes, they cause immense pain if they start breaking or are pushed into the ureters (narrow ducts which lead to the bladder).

Symptoms of kidney stones:
1. Immense pain in the groin, belly and back.
2. Pain while urinating and urination occurring frequently.
3. Blood found in the urine (haematuria).
4. Vomiting and nausea.
5. Feeling extremely restless and not being able to lie still.

Kidney stones can also cause a kidney infection. Signs of kidney infection include:
Kidney stones can also cause infection in the kidneys as they block the passage of urine to the bladder by blocking the ureters. This leads to build up of the waste product which can result in an infection. Some of the symptoms of kidney infections could be:
1. Feeling chilly and shivering on your skin.
2. High temperature of 100.4 F (38C) or more.
3. A feeling of fatigue or weakness.
4. Immense diarrhea
5. Bad smelling and cloudy urine.

Types of Kidney stones:
1. Struvite stones: It contains ammonia and magnesium. It is usually quite large and horn- shaped.
2. Uric acid stones: Brown, smooth and softer than other kinds of kidney stones.
3. Cystine stones: They are yellow and don t look like stones. They usually resemble crystal.
4. Calcium stones: It is composed of calcium.

What causes kidney stones?
Kidney stones can occur due to several factors. It usually forms when urine generally contains crystal substances like uric acid, calcium and oxalate. Your urine might not be able to dilute these substances resulting in the perfect environment for the formation of kidney stones. In case you are showing any of the symptoms mentioned above, you should visit you doctor immediately before the problem can worsen.

Common Symptoms of Kidney Stones

A lot of bad things can and do happen when the kidneys fail.  The kidneys are vital for proper bodily functioning because they filter liquid and solid waste products out of the blood and allow vital chemicals (which the body needs for functioning) to flow into the body through the bloodstream.  People can become very sick when the kidneys either fail to perform these functions or fail to perform them properly.  Many people will get chronic kidney disease, therefore, they need to know what the causes and symptoms are in order to treat, and even prevent these diseases from occurring.

People who suddenly experience the following symptoms should see a nephrologist as soon as possible for a medical examination:  blood or protein in the urine, kidney stones, acute kidney injury, kidney infections, and/or pain, and Hepatitis C and kidney disease.  

Blood in the urine can be a sign of kidney problems which can lead to kidney disease.  Additionally, people who urinate frothy or bubbly urine, or have swelling in the hands, face, and feet should see a doctor because this is a sign of protein in the urine.  Protein in the urine can be detected by a urine test.  Kidney stones can be very painful and are problematic.  They are caused by mineral buildup in the kidneys.  Men and white people tend to get kidney stones more, and they can cause blood in the urine, painful urination, sharp lower abdominal or back pain, and nausea and vomiting.

Acute kidney injury occurs when the kidneys stop functioning altogether in a short period of time.  Because this disease can be deadly, those with this disease should get immediate medical help.  Usually, the very sick patients in hospitals get this disease, but it can also be caused by certain medicines, injury, or infections.  This type of kidney disease is easily reversible.  

Symptoms include

Not passing enough urine when urinating
Leg, ankle, or feet swelling
Fatigue
Breathing problems
Confusion
Nausea, and chest pressure or pain. 
Kidney infections tend to be caused by bacteria that have spread from the urinary tract.  Women, because of their anatomy, tend to get kidney infections more than men. 

Symptoms include:

Fever
Vomiting
Back, side or groin pain
Chills
Nausea
Frequent urination
Frequent urges to urinate
Painful or burning urination
Pus or blood in the urine
Cloudy or foul-smelling urine
Kidney pain in the lower back or sides can signify more serious kidney problems.  They can be caused by urinary tract infections, polycystic kidney disease, kidney infections, blood clots, and/or bleeding in the kidneys.  
Hepatitis C is a disease that attacks the liver and can cause kidney disease.  

Symptoms include

Loss of appetite
Nausea
Fever
Fatigue
Vomiting
Dark colored urine
Grey colored stool
Joint pain
Yellow skin and eyes
While kidney diseases are at best unpleasant, and at worst, life-threatening, they can be avoided by drinking lots of water, eating a healthy low salt diet, and watching for any changes in health and urine over time.



What Happens When Kidneys Fail & Signs That Indicate It

A kidney transplant is a procedure that employs an operation to transplant properly functioning kidney in the body. The main job of the kidneys is to remove the excess waste from a person s body with the help of a filtration process. When the kidneys stop filtering the toxins properly, they become diseased as harmful waste products and toxins begin to accumulate in the body. Following this, the patient has to go through treatment measures like dialysis or kidney transplant.

Read on to know the five things you should keep in mind about a kidney transplant.

Treatment: Transplant is one of the best ways to treat chronic kidney disease stage-V, until unless it is contraindicated. Life becomes near normal after transplant, though there is a possibility of rejection of transplant kidney. Patient has to take immunosuppressive medication life long. 
Medication: Medications are mainly for:
To prevent rejection: Patient takes immunosuppressive medications life long. 
Prevention of infection: Patient has to take care all the measures to prevent infections as they are more prone to infections. 
Other medication: To control diabetes, HTN etc. 
Family Only: The donors are from family or emotionally related or cadavers (after brain death). HLA-matched donors are better because of less chances of rejections and first reduction of immunosuppressive. 
Doing Your Part: Once transplant is done - patient becomes normal and he/she lives a normal life. However, they have to take regular medications and to protect themselves from various infection. 
End Stage Renal Diseases: These diseases includes diabetes mellitus, HTN, polycystic kidney disease, chronic glomerulonephritis or interstitial nephritis etc.
Consult your Nephrologist before going for renal transplant for detailed check up or line of action.

Kidney Transplant - 5 Things About it !

Kidney stones and homeopathy

What do kidney stones generally mean? - An overview

Formation of solid masses in the kidney due to excessive accumulation of uric acid, calcium, vitamins and minerals lead to chronic pain and excretory problems. Kidney Stones, also known as Renal Calculi is a condition usually brought about by inadequate hydration and consumption of food high in calcium, but in most cases it a hereditary condition. The most commonly opted for treatment is surgery to remove the stone/s.

Do you suffer from kidney stone formations on periodical basis?

Do you often go through chronic abdominal pain due to the formation of crystalline calciferous masses in your kidney? If you do, surgical procedures are neither the answer, nor a plausible option for you. Besides being risky, surgery clearly isn't effective in bringing about an end to the condition on a permanent basis. Homeopathic remedies, on the other hand, are not only safe, they offer as little of side effects as possible. Homeopathic treatments of kidney stones are also proved to have been effective in most cases.

What are the most common homeopathic alternatives to suppress kidney stone formation?

Berberis Vulgaris is the most reputed homeopathic drug when it comes to diluting the stone in the kidney and also in reducing the chronic pain that is often associated with stones. It is also said to improve chances of mitigating periodic bouts of kidney stone formations. Berberis Vulgaris is effective for various kinds of kidney and renal stones. In addition to this drug, Sarsaparilla, Hydrangea, and Benzoic Acid also prove effective in the long run. Sustained practice of such Homeopathic remedies along with increased intake of fluids and adequate exercise go a long way to ensure cessation of kidney stone formation.

Kidney Stones and Homeopathy

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