Kidney filters the blood in our body every half an hour. Apart from this they also help control blood pressure, stimulate production of red blood cells, and regulate blood chemicals that are essential to life. In short, to maintain good health well-functioning Kidneys are essential. However more that one in seven American are estimated to have chronic kidney disease (CKD).
CKD is a condition in which the kidneys are damaged and cannot filter blood as well as they should. This causes waste and excess fluid to remain in the body. Kidney diseases are mainly caused due to diabetes or high blood pressure. It is associated usually with getting older and more prevalent in people who are of South Asian Origin or black.
The damage to the kidney cannot be reversed. But early diagnosis will help to slow the progression of the disease by taking certain medicines, diet change and lifestyle changes. Test can be done by blood or urine test.
Some other health consequences of CKD include:
- Anemia or low number of red blood cells
- Increased occurrence of infections
- Low calcium levels, high potassium levels, and high phosphorus levels in the blood
- Loss of appetite or eating less
- Depression or lower quality of life
My References
https://www.cdc.gov/kidneydisease/basics.html
https://www.kidneyfund.org/all-about-kidneys/chronic-kidney-disease-ckd
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