The kidneys work to purify the blood from excess wastes and excrete them in the urine. It is a vital function, the violation of which can lead to serious complications that threaten the patient’s life. In this article, we will present the symptoms of chronic kidney failure and the most important methods of treatment and prevention. 

What is chronic kidney failure and its effect on body functions

Chronic kidney failure is the occurrence of failure and gradual deterioration of the kidney, which affects the function of the kidney, which is to purify the blood from excess wastes and fluids that the body needs, leading to the accumulation of these wastes in the body and the appearance of symptoms in the patient. 

Symptoms of mild kidney failure

What is meant by simple kidney failure is the first stage of chronic kidney failure. At this stage, the injury to the kidneys is mild and they still have the ability to perform their function. Therefore, there are no apparent symptoms on the patient despite the presence of a degree of kidney damage.

The normal glomerular filtration rate in the stage of mild kidney failure is 90 ml/minute or more, but we can detect protein in the urine analysis, which is strong evidence of the first stage of kidney failure.

The causes of mild kidney failure are that the patient suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure, or aging kidneys. 

In most cases, there are no apparent symptoms in a patient with mild kidney failure, and they may be discovered during a regular examination or when conducting a urine test. If any symptoms appear, they are minor and take the form of:

• High blood pressure.
• Swelling of the feet and hands.
• Urinary tract infections.
• The result of a urine test is the presence of protein in the urine. 

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Kidney symptoms in women

Statistics indicate that the prevalence of kidney failure is more than 5% among men, and the most prominent kidney diseases among women are kidney infection and lupus nephritis. 

In the early stages of kidney disease, symptoms are not apparent, but as the disease progresses, these symptoms can be observed in women:

• Changes in urine, including an increase or decrease in the number of times you urinate, feeling a burning sensation during urination, or seeing foam in the urine, a change in urine color, or seeing drops of blood in the urine. 
• The appearance of swelling or swelling in parts of the body, especially the legs, hands, and face.
• الشعور بالتعب العام والارهاق. 
• High blood pressure that does not respond to medications. 
• Bone pain. 
• Sleep disturbances. 
• اضطرابات في الدورة الشهرية. 
• انخفاض الرغبة الجنسية. 

It should be noted that seeing these symptoms requires going directly to the doctor for detection and examination, as early detection has a major role in recovery from chronic kidney failure diseases. 

What are the symptoms of chronic kidney disease?

The initial symptoms of chronic kidney failure usually appear in blood tests and include the following:

• High level of creatinine in the blood.
• High protein level in urine and others.
• High level of urea in the blood.

At a more advanced stage, symptoms of chronic kidney failure appear clearly, and they include the following:

• Decreased urine output or urinary retention.
• General fatigue and weakness.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Feeling itchy all over the body. 
• Anorexia.
• Muscle spasms occur.
• The appearance of mental injuries.
• The appearance of edema in the extremities.

The progression of the disease varies from one patient to another based on the nature of the kidney disease, the patient’s age, general health condition, and suffering from any other diseases that cause the problem to worsen. 

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Potential health complications as a result of chronic kidney failure

Early detection allows preventing the deterioration of kidney failure, and neglecting the condition leads to the kidneys losing the ability to perform their function and the accumulation of wastes and excess fluids, causing the following complications to appear:

• Significantly high blood pressure. 
• Heart failure occurs because the accumulation of fluid in the body puts pressure on the heart. 
• Atherosclerosis and increased risk of coronary heart disease. 
• Low bone density due to mineral imbalance. 
• Anemia due to decreased production of the hormone erythropoietin, which stimulates the production of red blood cells. 
• Neurological disorders such as numbness and spasms occur as a result of nerve damage due to the accumulation of toxins. 
• Repeated infections to weaken immunity. 
• الأرق واضطرابات النوم. 
• Skin problems such as itching and dryness. 

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When is kidney disease chronic?

In general, any disease is considered acute if it develops suddenly and severely, and it is considered chronic if it develops gradually over the long term. It is considered chronic kidney failure if the kidney damage continues for more than 3 months. This means that the kidney injury has not healed and deteriorated over time. 

Chronic kidney failure occurs in 5 stages, which are as follows:

• The first stage: where there is minor damage to the kidneys, the glomerular filtration rate is higher than 90 ml/min, and the patient does not suffer from any obvious symptoms, but the presence of protein in the urine can be detected during examination. 
• The second stage: Minor damage occurs to the kidney, the glomerular filtration rate reaches between 60-89 ml/minute, and some minor symptoms may appear, such as general fatigue and exhaustion, along with the presence of proteins in the urine. 
• The third stage: Kidney damage is moderate and the glomerular filtration rate decreases between 30-44 ml/minute, and symptoms such as high blood pressure, swelling of the legs, and a change in the rate of urination begin to appear. 
• The fourth stage: This is advanced kidney failure and the glomerular filtration rate ranges between 15-30 ml/min. It is the stage before kidney failure where complications such as anemia, bone disease, and heart complications appear. 
• The fifth stage: which is complete kidney failure, and the patient needs treatment through dialysis or a kidney transplant. Toxins accumulate in the patient’s body to a large extent, leading to heart disorders and failure of some other organs, and the glomerular filtration rate decreases to less than 15 ml/min. 

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How do I know that the kidneys are inflamed?

Kidney inflammation is usually caused by a bacterial infection, and this leads to the appearance of some symptoms that make us think of kidney infection. These symptoms include:

• Feeling severe, constant pain in the lower back or side. 
• Severe burning and pain during urination. 
• The need to urinate frequently and in small quantities. 
• Urine appears dark in color due to the presence of pus or blood. 
• الحمى والقشعريرة. 
• Nausea and vomiting. 
• Anorexia. 

It is worth noting that suffering from these symptoms requires consulting a doctor immediately to detect and conduct the necessary tests to diagnose kidney infection and determine the appropriate treatment. 

Does chronic renal failure have a cure?

There is no completely curative treatment to eliminate chronic kidney failure, but there are several options to relieve symptoms, reduce the risk of worsening the condition and complications, and preserve remaining kidney function as much as possible. Treatment options include the following:

Treatment of complications of chronic kidney failure 

It aims to control complications and symptoms and includes: 

• High blood pressure medications, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers.
• Medications for high cholesterol levels. 
• Medicines to treat anemia, such as erythropoietin injections.
• Diuretics, to treat fluid retention. 
• Medications to treat bone density, calcium, vitamin D and magnesium supplements. 
• Drugs that inhibit phosphate absorption.
• Medications to relieve itchy skin, such as antihistamines. 

Treatment of chronic renal failure in its end stages 

1- Kidney dialysis

Helping the kidneys get rid of body waste through specialized machines. There are two types of dialysis: either hemodialysis, which involves transferring the blood to an external machine, then filtering it before returning it to the body.

Or peritoneal dialysis, where dialysis fluid is pumped into the internal space of the abdomen and then blood waste is withdrawn as it passes through the vessels inside the abdomen.

2- Kidney transplant

 A healthy kidney from a donor is transferred to the patient through surgery, after carefully examining the compatibility and the transplanted kidney can perform all its functions normally.

Can chronic kidney disease be cured?

Now, there is no drug treatment available to completely cure chronic kidney failure. Chronic kidney failure is treated by permanent dialysis or kidney transplantation, except in addition to lifestyle changes, to be able to live with the disease and survive. The patient may need dialysis 3 times a week for a period ranging between 3-4 hours for each session.

In conclusion, chronic kidney failure is a very serious disease that threatens the patient’s life, and early detection and treatment is one of the keys to recovery from it. Adhering to the treatment plan set by the doctor, performing all necessary medical tests, and seeing the doctor regularly are all important factors for maintaining kidney health and improving the patient’s quality of life. At Al Mousa Specialist Hospital, we provide all types of diagnostic and treatment methods for kidney failure. You can contact us on our numbers listed on the website for more details, reservations and inquiries.  

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