Let’s start from the beginning – what is the function of the kidneys?
And the answer is – our kidney system is multi-component: kidneys are not just a filter, but also play an important role in:
– excretory function – through the kidneys – excess water, salts and nitrogen-containing substances, which are formed as a result of the exchange of substances in the body of each person, are excreted in the urine.
– maintenance of an optimal balance in the “internal environment” – this is the so-called “homeostasis” – In case of changes in the water-salt and acid-alkaline internal environment of the body, the kidneys include a number of compensatory mechanisms with which they restore this balance.
– stimulating the production of red blood cells (erythrocytes) – specific kidney cells produce the hormone “erythropoietin”, whose task is to stimulate the bone marrow to produce blood cells.
– maintenance of normal strength and structure of human bones – the kidneys are also actively involved in the production of vitamin D3, which is responsible for the strength of bones in the human body.
When do we start talking about chronic kidney failure (CKD)?
When these renal functions begin to decrease until they are completely lost (last stage of renal failure, when creatinine has already reached levels of approx. 850 µmol/l.
Sometimes, quite imperceptibly, the degree of kidney failure is reached, which necessitates frequent examination of the state of kidney function.
Of course, it takes time to reach the end stage of CKD, but eventually, the kidneys are irreversibly damaged.
The first signs are a decrease in the amount of urine excreted – an important symptom, which, however, is not always manifested.
Sometimes the exact opposite symptom is present – excessive excretion of urine (polyuria). This happens when, in an attempt to excrete substances the body does not need, the damaged kidneys excrete more water because they cannot concentrate the urine.
Patients excrete up to 3 or more liters of urine per day, urges to urinate are frequent even at night!
For comparison – a healthy person usually urinates within 1.5 l/24 hours.
Other characteristic complaints are easy fatigue, high blood pressure that is not affected by medication, or at least not subject to normal regulation and control, nausea, nocturnal shortness of breath and difficulty breathing, which are due to pulmonary edema, drowsiness. Diabetes is also a ‘first aid in the development of CKD’
That is why prevention and regular monitoring of kidney health by a nephrologist is so important.
If you have any of the symptoms described above, accompanied by frequent urinary infections, kidney pain, if you have been suffering from diabetes for several years – contact a nephrologist who will prescribe preventive tests, including creatinine and urea, and consult you subsequently.