Your kidneys form a crucial filtration system for toxins to be removed from the body, and diseases that affect them risk being fatal if they progress far enough. Estimates indicate 35 million people in America struggle with kidney disease, and 815,000 live with kidney failure. A little over half a million are so far gone they’re on dialysis.
Whether your condition is in the early stages or you’re looking for more progressive treatment or even kidney transplants, the search for better solutions to kidney problems is ongoing. To find out if better solutions are coming your way for treating kidney problems, let’s look at what the data says about how to slow it down with newer methods.
Residents of Sylacauga, Talladega, Alabama, who need proper kidney disease care can count on Dr. Ghayas Habach and his dedicated staff at Merit Health Care.
The shape of these critical filtration organs is so commonly known that there’s a bean named after them, and we have two of them (one on each side of our lower abdomen) to help balance electrolyte levels, filter blood, and eliminate waste through our urine.
Kidney disease occurs when these organs can no longer perform this essential task properly, and it comes in several types:
A progressive form of the disease where the filtration problems worsen enough over time, it can develop into kidney failure.
Autoimmune diseases, such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, cause the body’s immune system to attack healthy cells. When this occurs in the kidneys, it reduces their function.
With this type of disease, your glomeruli, tiny filters in the kidneys that remove waste, become inflamed or damaged.
With this condition, fluid-filled sacs called cysts form on the kidneys due to an inherited disorder, causing overgrowth and making them harder to function correctly.
Several factors either cause or increase the risk of kidney disease, such as infections, damage from injury, lack of proper blood flow, related conditions like an enlarged prostate, dehydration, some medications, heavy drinking, diabetes, and complications from pregnancy like preeclampsia. Other conditions, like liver failure, can also raise the risk of kidney disease.
Complications of this illness, which occur frequently in long-term issues with CKD, can be life-threatening, leading to bone disease, heart disease, calcium and potassium buildup, fluid buildup, and anemia. As mentioned, kidney failure is also a possible complication if not treated in time.
Lots of ongoing research still works to find ways to treat the many types of kidney disease better, and according to current information:
The work for better treatment continues, and with it, more options for people to live healthier lives while coping with the various forms of kidney disease. Regardless of what kind of kidney problem you’re dealing with, schedule an appointment with Dr. Habach and the Merit Health Care team today so we can improve your quality of life.
