Chronic renal failure can expose to serious consequences. But simple, cheap and painless checks are enough to avert or stem the problem
In Italy there are almost four and a half million people living with chronic renal failure, a condition characterized by one progressive reduction of renal function. Globally, chronic kidney disease affects as many as 10 percent of the world’s population with a growing trend.
Why is kidney failure so widespread?
Kidney disease often runs silently. In fact, the kidneys rarely give clear and recognizable signals of their suffering in the initial stages of the disease. Giuseppe Castellano, director of the Unit of Nephrology, Dialysis and Kidney Transplants of the Irccs Polyclinic Foundation of Milan and associate professor at the University of Milan -. Exactly for this reason chronic renal failure is often discovered at an advanced stagewhen instead simple tests would be enough to recognize it earlier and intervene in a targeted way to slow down its evolution.
To worry too the increase in acute renal failure which consists in a rapid decay of renal function. This very relevant phenomenon, especially in hospitals. Several studies show that about 18 percent of patients who are hospitalized develops acute renal failure, a percentage that has reached peaks of almost 30 percent due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It happens to us because, when you are in the hospital, you sometimes have to do it drug treatments that can affect the kidneys in patients often suffering from other diseases or already severely wasted; as a consequence, after discharge, acute renal failure can often progress to chronic renal failure. But it is certainly not an inescapable fate, much can be done in terms of prevention, early diagnosis and even treatment.
What can be done to protect the kidneys?
One
healthy lifestyle the first step
to protect kidney health. The other fundamental aspect is that of periodic checks. After the age of 40, the kidneys tend to lose their function in a physiological way. Past this age everyone should undergo one kidney function screening. Ma, if risk factors are present (smoking, hypertension, obesity, sedentary care, etc.) o familiarity for kidney disease, checks should be anticipated as well as in the presence of possible alarm signs such as
blood in the urine
(or haematuria, “flesh-washed” urine) or other alterations at the level of the urinary tract.
With a simple urinalysis and
creatinine in the blood
possible to tell if the kidneys are failing. Just as important monitor patients who have developed acute renal failure in a hospital setting, once discharged. Here the nephrologist plays a fundamental role, who must understand the origin of the problem and intervene promptly.
How is chronic kidney failure treated?
You can rely on drugs that slow the progression kidney damage. These include the ace-inhibitors and the sartans
to which, recently, they have been added glyphosine, born as anti-diabetic drugs, but then proved to be protective against both cardiovascular and renal events, and not only in diabetics. Then we must also address other aspects related to the reduced functioning of the kidneys such as
anemia, disturbances in electrolyte balance and so on. In this way we arrive at a multitherapy on many “targets”. When the residual renal function is completely exhausted (terminal failure) all that remains is to resort to replacement therapies, namely dialysis and transplantation
.
May 29, 2022 (change May 29, 2022 | 19:26)
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