What Causes Kidney Failure and How to Prevent It

Before we find out what causes kidney failure, let’s look at the roles and functions of kidney. Of all the vital organs in our body, kidneys play a vital role in removing toxins and keeping our body in healthy condition. Without kidneys, a human body cannot remove waste products, balance electrolyte level, control blood pressure, perform homeostatic functions, balance acid-base level, or stimulate red blood cell production. Kidneys are, therefore, essential organs that help us to stay active. If kidneys fail to perform normally, it can bring down a person almost completely by disrupting all other vital functions. Many reasons can be attributed to kidney failure but one of the common reasons behind Acute Renal Failure (ARF) or Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is low intake of fluids.

What causes kidney failure?
Kidneys have intelligent sensors to detect the amount of water to excrete as liquid waste and to analyze the level of concentration of electrolytes that a body should maintain. Apart from the sensors, kidneys also produce a hormone called rennin to determine the amount of fluids that a body should remove. Therefore, instead of bluntly removing a standard quantity of fluids always, kidneys intelligently analyze and determine whether a body is in dehydrated state or has plenty of water. Kidney failure happens when the condition of the body goes beyond the threshold of kidneys’ processing capabilities or when there are internal damages within the kidneys.

Acute Renal Failure:
Acute renal failure happens when kidneys have too much of toxins to process or when there is an interruption in the supply of blood to kidneys. Blood supply to kidneys hampers due to internal injuries, accidents, or during surgeries. Low blood supply to kidneys can also be due to blood loss, dehydration, abnormal blood flow, or medications. Additionally, blood clots tend to form within kidneys’ blood vessels due to Haemolytic-uremic syndrome, Scleroderma, or malignant hypertension and can result in acute renal failure. A fall in blood pressure or prolonged dehydration can also damage kidney tissues and result in acute renal failure.

Chronic Kidney Failure:
Chronic kidney failure, unlike acute kidney failure, doesn’t develop within a short period. Chronic kidney failure has five stages with increasing severity at each stage with gradual deterioration of the function of kidneys. The severity of each stage is based on Glomerular filtration rate (GFR). If the kidneys function normally, then the GFR should be over 90mL/min, however, if the functions of kidneys deteriorate, you will notice a gradual decline in GFR. If the GFR goes below 15mL/min, then it indicates severe kidney damage. The reasons for developing chronic kidney failure can be due to any of following conditions.

a. Polycystic Kidney disease:
This rare genetic disorder results in the formation of multiple cysts inside the kidneys. The presence of polycysts within the kidneys enlarges the sizes of kidneys and leads to chronic kidney disease or complete kidney damage.

b. Glomerulonephritis: When Glomerulus, an important filter to remove waste, damages, the condition results in Glomerulonephritis. Chronic kidney failure occurs when the internal lining of Glomerulus inflames or damages badly.

c. Diabetic nephropathy: Chronic kidney failure that happens due to long-standing Type I and Type II diabetes is diabetic nephropathy. Long-standing diabetes affects the tiny blood vessels in Glomerulus and leads to excessive excretion of protein.

d. Ischemic Nephropathy: This condition happens when the arteries within the kidneys harden or clog due to excessive toxins or blood clots. In this case, kidneys damage progressively over a period.

e. Medications: Some of the medications like ibuprofen or acetaminophen, if taken for a long period, can cause chronic kidney failure.
How to Prevention Kidney Failure

Even though kidneys perform essential functions, most of us fail to take proactive steps to prevent damage to kidneys. Kidney failure can be debilitating for anyone but you can easily prevent kidney damage by strictly adhering to a well-balanced dietary regimen. Here are some steps to help you prevent overloading kidneys.

Test whether you have Anaemia
Kidneys are responsible for producing a type of hormone called erythropoietin that aids in the production of red blood corpuscles. If there is a decline in the production of red blood cells, then the condition leads to anaemia, which could indicate onset of kidney damage.

Avoid sodas and foods high in sodiumr
Research conducted by American Society of Nephrology has proven that foods high in sodium especially processed foods and diet sodas with artificial flavours damage kidneys progressively.

Check for diabetesr
High blood sugar can be detrimental to the normal functioning of kidneys. Anyone at any age can have diabetes. Therefore, irrespective of your age, you should keep your blood sugar and blood pressure at optimal level.

Avoid painkiller medicationsr
Repeated use of painkillers like aspirin or ibuprofen can damage kidney over a period. However, if you have heart problem, then you may need to consult your healthcare provider to restrict the dosage of aspirin.

Check for symptomsr
Irrespective of your age, if you experience low energy levels, shortness of breath, vomiting or nausea, severe join pain, itching or light-headedness, then it could be onset of kidney damage and it is better to consult nephrologists at this stage.

Regulate your protein intaker
High protein in your diet can deteriorate the functioning of already damaged kidneys. It is better to consult a dietician to determine the right level of protein required to keep you healthy without causing any harm to kidneys. Additionally, damaged kidneys have problem in processing potassium, therefore, avoiding potassium-rich foods like bananas, mangoes, avocado, potatoes, or nuts can prevent further damage to kidneys.

Limit intake of fast foodsr
If you are addicted to fast foods or processed foods, try switching to homemade food to stop bombarding kidneys with harmful preservatives, artificial flavours and chemicals. Additionally, including plenty of fruits in your diet and drinking hot water frequently can eliminate toxins gradually. Taking preventive steps is far better than going for dialysis when the condition of kidneys go beyond their repairable stage.