Kidney Function

In hemodialysis, a membrane is used for dialysis, formed by a series of thin tubes, called capillaries filters.

To perform hemodialysis, blood is necessary to pass through the filter capillary. For this, it is essential to take a blood vessel and resilient enough to allow access 3 times per week with special needles.

The blood vessel with these characteristics is obtained through an arteriovenous fistula (AV fistula.)

The favorite is obtained by combining surgically a vein and an artery in the arm to allow blood flow exceeding 250 ml / minute.

This flow of blood through the filter abundant hair for 4 hours, removing anything that is undesirable. The artificial kidney is a machine that controls the pressure of the filter, the speed and volume of blood that pass through the capillary and the amount of fluid that bathes the filter.

To make a great standard hemodialysis arteriovenous fistula is a must with excellent flow condition with a local hospital, medical equipment and proper learning.

Taking these circumstances, the patient will perform hemodialysis for many years.

Hemodialysis filtration capacity is equal to the human kidney, thus a time of hemodialysis is equivalent to one hour of normal kidney function.

The difference between dialysis and kidney is normal in 3 dialysis sessions conducted 4 hours, equivalent to 12 hours per week. A normal kidney is working on cleaning up the body 24 hours a day, 7 days a week making a total of 168 hours per week. Therefore, treatment with an artificial kidney patient leaves 156 hours per week without filtration (168-12 = 156)

Despite making only 12 hours per week of dialysis, it is proved that a person can live well, with good quality of life, to work smoothly.

Hemodialysis has its risks as any type of treatment and complications to be avoided as hypertension, severe anemia, bone loss, malnutrition, hepatitis, weight gain from excess water intake and complications of the disease the patient is a carrier.

For this reason, doctors monitor and treat medical problems (edema, high blood pressure, cough, shortness of breath, anemia) in each hemodialysis session.

Once a month requesting blood tests to see how are the benefits of urea, phosphorus, uric acid and observe the condition of the bones to prevent bone loss. Directed controlling calorie diet, the salt and protein to control nutrition.

The number of peritoneal dialysis patients that is about 2 to 5% of the remaining kidney and chronic hemodialysis ago. In Brazil, currently, there are 35,000 patients with hemodialysis and only 10% were transplanted.

Questions to ask your doctor:

Is this safe?

Can I live normally with hemodialysis?

Can I work?

What kind of work I do and what should I avoid?

Should I diet?

Along with metabolism in the body are the kidneys playing a key role. They form the urine of the urinary excreted. With the urine, both excess body water as well as many of slag from the metabolic poisons such as through a filter removed from the body. In addition, the acid-base budget of the body so regulated that a too strong acidification of the blood is avoided. The kidneys also have a very important role in regulating blood pressure. This is done through different messengers (hormones) in the kidneys are formed. Messengers from the kidneys, such as the hormone erythropoietin, also control the production of blood cells in the bone marrow.

In addition, the kidneys affect the calcium budget and play an important role in the formation of vitamin D. This vitamin is needed for the mineralization, thus contributing to the stability of the Knochenbaus at. Already here is how diverse the functions of the kidneys are. The kidneys are created in pairs, each kidney in an adult is about eleven inches long and weighs about 160 grams (on average).

Almost all the kidney diseases attack nephrons and make them lose their ability to filter. Damage to nephrons can happen quickly, often as a result of injury or poisoning. But most kidney diseases destroy nephrons slowly without causing obvious symptoms. Only when they pass a few years or even decades will begin to demonstrate the harm. Most kidney diseases attack both kidneys simultaneously, devastating healthy kidney function.

The two causes of kidney disease are the most common diabetes and high blood pressure. If your family has a history of kidney problems, you may run the risk of kidney disease.

Diabetic Nephropathy

Diabetes is a disease that prevents the body to use glucose (sugar) in an appropriate manner. If glucose stays in the blood instead of down, can act as a poison. The damage caused by the nefronas unused glucose in the blood is called diabetic nephropathy. Controlled by maintaining the levels of blood glucose (blood sugar), you can delay or prevent diabetic nephropathy.

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure can damage the small blood vessels in the kidneys. The damaged vessels can not filter waste from the blood properly.

It is possible that the doctor prescribes medicines to control blood pressure. It has been discovered that some medications for high blood pressure protect the kidneys even more than other drugs that lower blood pressure to similar levels. These drugs are known as inhibitors of angiotensin converting enzyme, ACE by its initials in Spanish, and angiotensin receptor blocker, ARB by its acronym in English. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NHLBI by their initials, which is called in Spanish National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute recommends that people with diabetes or reduced kidney function maintain their blood pressure below 130/80 mm Hg. NHLBI is part of the National Institutes of Health, which are called in Spanish National Institutes of Health.

Glomerular Diseases

In this category are grouped different types of renal diseases, including autoimmune diseases, diseases related to infections and diseases sclerotic. As its name indicates, glomerular diseases attack the tiny blood vessels (glomeruli) that are within the kidney. The most common primary glomerular diseases include membranous nephropathy, IgA nephropathy and focal segmental glomeruloesclerosis. Protein, blood or both substances in the urine are often the first signs of these diseases. They can slowly destroy kidney function. It is important to control blood pressure if you have kidney disease. Depending on the specific disease, treatments for diseases Glomerular are immunosuppressive drugs or steroids to reduce inflammation and proteinuria.

Hereditary Diseases or Congenital Kidney

Some kidney diseases are the result of hereditary factors. For example, polycystic kidney disease (PKD), is a genetic disorder that causes the formation of multiple cysts in the kidneys. The cysts can slowly replace much of the mass of the kidneys, reducing kidney function and leads to kidney failure.

Some kidney problems may occur when a fetus is still in the womb of the mother. Examples include autosomal recessive polycystic kidney, a rare form of polycystic kidney and other problems that hinder development of the normal training nefronas. The signs of kidney disease in children vary. A child may have an abnormally slow growth, which often vomit or have back pain or side. Some kidney diseases may be “silent” for months or even years, or no symptoms in its early stages.

If your child has a kidney disease, the child’s doctor should be detected during a regular medical checkup. Take your child to the doctor regularly. The first sign of a kidney problem may be high blood pressure, a small number of red blood cells (anemia), or blood or protein in the urine of children. If the doctor finds any of these problems, may have to do other tests, even more blood and urine tests or radiology studies. In some cases, may require that the doctor have a biopsy, which is to take a tiny piece of kidney tissue to examine under a microscope.

It is possible that some hereditary kidney disease not be detected until adulthood. The most common form of polycystic kidney was once called “adult polycystic kidney,” because the symptoms of high blood pressure and kidney failure can not occur until patients are between 20 to 30 years. But with advances in imaging technology, doctors have found cysts in children and adolescents before they present symptoms.

Other Causes of Kidney Disease

The Poisons and trauma, for example, a direct hit hard in the kidneys and can cause kidney disease.

Some OTC medicines can be poisonous to the kidneys if taken regularly for a long time. It has been discovered that the products that combine aspirin, acetaminophen and other drugs such as ibuprofen, are most dangerous to the kidneys. If you take regular medication for pain relief, see your doctor to make sure not to risk the kidneys, and ensure proper kidney function.