Kidney Disease To Be Blamed For Lalu Prasad's Deteriorating Health - Know More About The Condition!

The ex-railway minister and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief has been having health problems for a while now. On Saturday, doctors said that his kidney function has dropped drastically. His blood sugar level and blood pressure level too are fluctuating.

Recently doctors had administered a large dose of antibiotics due to which complications have developed in his body. Doctors have also attributed the drop in his kidney function to the antibiotic dose.

To understand this better let’s look at what kidney disease is.

What is kidney disease?

Kidneys are an essential organ in the body that perform multiple functions. They filter blood, maintain electrolyte balance in the body and regulate blood pressure. Thus, any problem in the kidneys can impair all of these essential functions. 

Kidney disease can be acute or chronic.

Symptoms of kidney disease

Kidney disease, especially chronic kidney disease, may not exhibit symptoms – particularly in the early stages. 

Some of the symptoms are – 

• Foam in urine

• Lack of appetite

• Muscle cramps

• Dry and itchy skin

• Poor sleep

• Weight loss

• Frequent urination

• An urge to vomit

Children with kidney problems may experience fatigue and sleepiness, they also may not grow at the usual rate.

Causes

Kidney disease occurs when another disease does not allow the kidney to function properly. Some conditions that can lead to kidney disease are –

• High blood pressure

• Diabetes

• Polycystic kidney disease

• Infections in the kidney

• Inflammation in the tubules of the kidney

• If the urine backs up to the kidney

Apart from the causes, there are certain risk factors such as smoking, drinking alcohol and obesity that increases your chances of being affected by kidney disease.

Kidney disease prevention -

If you want to reduce your susceptibility to kidney disease then you will have to follow the following precautions –

1. Reduce excess weight.
   If you are overweight then aim to bring your weight down to a healthy range. You can do that by modifying your diet and starting an exercise regimen. 
    
2. Stay away from smoking.
   If you smoke then quit immediately. Smoking can damage your kidneys and can aggravate existing kidney damage.
    
3. Do not overdose on OTC medication.
   Pain relievers like aspirin and ibuprofen in large doses can damage your kidneys. Always consult a doctor if you need to take them.
    
4. Manage your pre-existing medical problems.
   As stated earlier, conditions like high blood pressure and high blood sugar can cause kidney damage. So talk to your doctor and keep these problems in check so that your kidneys remain healthy. 

To sum it up, kidneys are an integral part of your body. So keep them healthy by following the preventive measures mentioned above.