Kidney diseases are very diverse not only in origin, but also in symptoms and consequences. Most often, people suffer from inflammatory ailments, such as glomerulonephritis, pyelonephritis. These pathologies are most common in women. Both sexes are equally often exposed to urolithiasis. Children are characterized by pyelonephritis and congenital kidney anomalies.
Causes of pathology
Kidney disease can occur for a variety of reasons. Most often, the disease leads to:
- Autoimmune process. As a result of a failure of immunity, antibodies against kidney cells begin to be produced. This process leads to inflammation - glomerulonephritis.
- Infection of a bacterial type. Once in the kidneys, the bacteria begin to multiply, causing inflammation. It leads to pyelonephritis. If kidney disease is not treated, kidney abscesses may form. Infectious pathologies lead to a violation of the outflow of urine.
- Intoxication. With any pathology caused by pathogenic microorganisms, toxic substances and waste products of viruses and bacteria accumulate in the kidneys. They settle in the kidneysthere from the blood. As a result, toxic nephropathy develops. This is a reversible process that takes place after exposure to toxins.
- Violation of the metabolism and chemical composition of urine is the main cause of urolithiasis. In the pelvis of the kidneys, stones are formed that disrupt the outflow of urine and injure the mucous membrane of the kidneys and ureters. A secondary infection joins this process, resulting in pyelonephritis.
Other reasons
Hemolysis can be the cause of kidney disease. As a result of the destruction of red blood cells and the release of hemoglobin, it settles in the glomeruli of the kidneys. This blockage makes it difficult to work. As a result, acute renal failure develops. It can also lead to illness:
- Impaired blood flow. With atherosclerotic plaques, a change in the diameter of the vessel occurs, which leads to insufficient blood flow to the cells of the organ. The result of this pathology is metabolic nephropathy. It can last for years without any symptoms.
- Low BP. As a result of low blood pressure (systolic below 70 mm Hg), blood filtration in the glomeruli stops. As a result, they die (necrosis appears).
- Injuries. Kidney disease can result from trauma. It may be a bruise, a cut wound, in which the kidney tissue is disturbed and the function of the organ is lost.
If the formation of the fetus in the womb is disturbed, an anomaly in the development of the kidneys may occur. They can be forked, omitted. Sometimes children haveextra kidney.
Common symptoms of pathologies
Symptoms of kidney disease are divided into local and general. The first include those clinical manifestations that are associated with the organ itself. This is:
- Pain in the lumbar region.
- Decreased amount of urine.
- The appearance of blood in the urine.
- Urine changes color.
Common symptoms of kidney disease include: fever, headaches, weakness, aching joints. There may be an increase in blood pressure, and bags under the eyes appear, swelling after sleep.
Diagnostic Methods
To make a diagnosis, it is not enough to know the signs of kidney disease, it is also necessary to conduct laboratory and instrumental diagnostics.
Be sure to give a clinical blood test, indicating the inflammatory nature of the disease. An immunological analysis is being carried out, as a result of which it is possible to establish whether there are antibodies to the renal glomeruli.
In order for the doctor to make an accurate diagnosis, urine is taken for a general analysis. It shows whether there is a protein, the density is determined, the presence of leukocytes, erythrocytes.
Signs - symptoms - kidney disease requires instrumental diagnostics to accurately determine what type of disease the patient has. For this purpose, ultrasound, CT, antegrade radiography are prescribed.
Having received all the results of the examinations, the doctor makes a conclusion and selects a treatment regimen.
Glomerulonephritis
This kidney disease in men andwomen is autoimmune and inflammatory. With glomerulonephritis, damage to the renal glomeruli, tubules occurs. The disease can develop independently, or it can manifest itself in other pathologies.
The most common cause of pathology is streptococcal infection, less often it develops with malaria, tuberculosis. The reason may be hypothermia, the influence of toxic substances.
Glomerulonephritis can be chronic, acute, subacute. In the acute form, patients complain of pain in the lumbar region, swelling on the face, which appears under the eyes, swelling of the extremities. Attacks of increase in arterial pressure are observed. There is also a change in urine, body temperature rises. Most often, glomerulonephritis appears a few weeks after the infection.
In the chronic form, kidney disease in women and men develops as a result of undertreated or neglected acute glomerulonephritis. The clinical picture of the chronic form differs from the acute form in lesser severity of pain, but otherwise everything is identical. Chronic glomerulonephritis is latent, mixed, nephrotic, hypertensive.
The diagnosis uses laboratory and instrumental methods, in some cases a kidney biopsy is prescribed.
Treatment takes a long time, in some cases therapy lasts for years. Patients are prescribed a diet, diuretics and antihypertensive drugs, taking corticosteroids. Other treatments may be prescribed.
Pyelonephritis
When kidney pyelonephritisthe symptoms of the disease and treatment depend on the degree of damage to the organ and the cause that led to the disease. The parenchyma, pelvis, calyx may be involved in the inflammatory process. Most often, pyelonephritis is diagnosed in women.
Inflammation of an organ can be provoked by microorganisms that penetrate the organs from the outside. It can be staphylococcus, streptococcus, E. coli. Less often, inflammation is caused by several bacteria at once. If a person has problems with the outflow of urine, or there are problems with blood flow, then inflammation of the kidneys occurs against this background.
There are three forms of disease: recurrent, chronic and acute. If the latter is not treated, then it passes into another form.
The acute form occurs due to hypothermia, a decrease in the body's immune defenses, after some types of instrumental examinations.
The diagnosis of "pyelonephritis" is made after receiving and evaluating the results of laboratory and instrumental examinations. The doctor may prescribe an ultrasound of the kidneys, CT and other methods.
Antibacterial therapy is used for treatment, fortifying drugs, decoctions, teas are selected.
Nephroptosis
Nephroptosis is a pathological condition in which the kidney has high mobility. Because of this feature, it is often called "wandering". Most often, this disease affects women: this is due to the anatomy of the female body. Their fat receptacle is shorter and wider than in men, and there is a weakening of the abdominal press. As a result of the peculiarities of the anatomy and physiology of the femaleorganism, nephroptosis may occur.
Sudden weight loss, heavy physical exertion, injuries can lead to the development of the disease.
Nephroptosis has three stages, determined by the degree of mobility of the organ.
Kidney failure
With partial or complete loss of function, kidney failure is diagnosed. This disease is associated with the inability to maintain a constant chemical composition in the body. As a result of the pathology, the water-electrolyte balance is disturbed, all substances that should be excreted from the body by the kidneys are retained, causing poisoning.
In acute renal failure, one or both kidneys are impaired. This type can manifest itself as a result of the impact of various pathological factors on the parenchyma. Also, the disease can develop as a result of exposure to the body of medicines, toxic substances and not only.
Chronic renal failure occurs as a result of pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis, diabetes, poisoning.
Hydronephrosis
With hydronephrosis, there is a persistent expansion of the cavities of the kidney, which occurs as a result of a violation of the outflow of urine. This disease can be congenital or acquired. In the first case, hydronephrosis is manifested due to anatomical abnormalities. The acquired form occurs against the background of urolithiasis, various neoplasms that disrupt the outflow of urine.
Hydronephrosis can occur without visible symptoms. Symptoms may show up ifkidney stones will appear or an infection will develop. The patient may be disturbed by pain in the lower back of varying intensity. Often the only clinical manifestation of the disease is the presence of blood in the urine.
Urolithiasis
Due to metabolic disorders, as well as in violation of the function of the endocrine glands, kidney stones are formed. The formation of stones is affected by stagnation of urine in the urinary tract. As a result of these processes, stones are formed: oxalates, urates, phosphates.
With urolithiasis of the kidneys, renal colic occurs, manifested by severe pain. When the diagnosis is confirmed, stones are removed, drugs are prescribed that relieve inflammation.
Urinary tract infection
Symptoms of kidney disease in women and men may appear as a result of infection entering the ascending route through the urinary system. Escherichia coli and other microorganisms can cause the disease. As a result of the penetration of bacteria into the body, inflammation begins. It rises up the urinary tract, reaching the kidneys.
When inflammation of the urinary tract occurs in patients with cloudy urine, an unpleasant odor, an admixture of blood. There is frequent urination, pain, discomfort. The pathology of the urinary system is characterized by general malaise, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. In these cases, symptomatic therapy is carried out, and broad-spectrum antibacterial drugs are prescribed.
General treatments
If a kidney disease is diagnosed, treatment is requiredimmediately to avoid complications. You should not practice treatment with folk remedies without consulting a doctor, engage in other methods of self-treatment. A doctor should treat kidney disease. Experimenting with yourself is highly discouraged.
Kidney pain can be caused by a cyst or neoplasm, polycystic. If a cyst is found, treatment is carried out only if the disease gives complications. In such cases, laparoscopy is indicated.
As a result of metabolic disorders, sand can form in the kidneys. To bring it out, various medicines are prescribed, as well as traditional medicine. Taking any medications is carried out strictly under the supervision of a doctor.
For most kidney pathologies, drug treatment is practiced. It is mandatory to prescribe antibacterial drugs, selected individually for each person. During pregnancy, the treatment of ailments is carried out according to special sparing schemes. Without fail, patients are prescribed a diet: spicy foods, s alty, fatty foods are excluded from the diet. In the case of a severe course of the disease, kidney dialysis is performed, and surgical intervention is also indicated.
Prevention
Everyone knows that it is easier to prevent diseases than to treat them. To avoid relapse, it is necessary to review the diet. With an excess content of protein foods, sweet, s alty, smoked and fatty foods, sour and spicy foods, kidney pathology may occur. All of these products place a heavy burden onkidneys, therefore, to live a long and he althy life, it is necessary to exclude these foods from the diet.
Also, infections, stress, and hypothermia affect the excretory function. In the event of even the slightest manifestation of pain in the lumbar region, you should immediately consult a doctor. The sooner the pathology is detected, the faster the recovery will be.
Proper nutrition, lack of stress, hypothermia, timely cured infections will help to avoid the occurrence of kidney pathologies and their complications.
