KIDNEYS

CURE OF KIDNEY FAILURE

Main functions of the kidneys

Filter the blood and produce urine to remove wastes from the body, thus preventing the accumulation of toxins in the blood stream;
Produce hormones that affect other body functions, such as regulating blood pressure and producing red blood cells;
Regulate the concentration of minerals or electrolytes (eg sodium, calcium and potassium) and the amount of fluid in the body.

Our two kidneys have tiny filtration factories, the nephrons; Each nephron consists of a glomerulus (which acts as a sort of strainer to prevent important things like red blood cells from being removed) and a tubule (a small tube through which fluid passes).

It's entirely possible to lead an active, healthy life with just one kidney - one intact kidney can do the job for two - but monitoring the remaining kidney for any signs of abnormalities is essential.

When it comes to the stage where the kidneys can no longer function, the two options for removing waste products from the bloodstream are dialysis or a kidney transplant.

Kidney failure: the types

Acute renal failure most often occurs after an attack such as a sudden and transient drop in blood pressure, during bleeding, a general infection (sepsis), drug intoxication or even in the event of an obstruction. urinary tract with a calculus or prostatic adenoma. The kidneys take a few days to spontaneously return to normal functioning after treatment. During this period, many resort to dialysis which allows the patient to survive during the renal self-repair process.

Chronic kidney disease does not improve, by definition. It is induced by pathologies (diabetes, hypertension, etc.) which gradually destroy the various renal structures. There are five stages of the disease up to the terminal stage at which the filtration capacity is less than 15% of normal for all kidneys. At this stage many are considering the techniques of replacement of renal function: dialysis and transplantation.

Symptoms of kidney failure

Early renal failure is often asymptomatic, that is, without symptoms. This is what makes early diagnosis sometimes difficult.

Obvious symptoms:

More frequent urination, especially at night;
Painful urination and decreased urine volume;
Presence of blood in the urine (uncommon in chronic renal failure);
Foamy, cloudy, or dark-colored urine;

Less obvious symptoms: As a direct result of the kidneys' inability to remove waste and excess fluid from the body:

Puffy eyelids, swelling of the hands and feet (a symptom called edema);
Arterial hypertension;
More marked fatigue and weakness;
Shortness of breath;
Loss of appetite ;
Nausea and vomiting (a common symptom);
Thirst ;
Unpleasant taste in the mouth or bad breath;
Weightloss ;
Persistent and generalized itching;
Involuntary muscle contractions and cramps;
Yellowish-brown or gray skin
Fragility of skin, bones and muscle wasting

The causes

The most common are diabetes mellitus (type 1 or 2 diabetes) and high blood pressure. The most common cause of end-stage kidney disease worldwide is kidney disease. (Inflammatory kidney disease).
One of the complications of diabetes and high blood pressure is the appearance of damage to the small blood vessels in the body, including those in the kidneys; this results in chronic renal failure.

In general, the diseases that cause cardiovascular problems are also risk factors for kidney disease. Old age, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, smoking and low HDL cholesterol ("good cholesterol") 1. Other risk factors can cause chronic kidney disease, including the following:

Recurrent pyelonephritis (infection of the kidneys);
Polycystic kidney disease (presence of several cysts in the kidneys);
Autoimmune conditions, such as systemic lupus erythematosus;
Hardening of the arteries which can damage the blood vessels in the kidney;
Urinary tract obstruction and reflux, due to frequent infections and stones or a congenital anatomical abnormality;
Excessive use of drugs metabolized by the kidneys.
Abuse of alcohol, drugs and medications, including those sold without a prescription, such as aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen.

Diagnostic

Concentration of creatinine in the blood and clearance of creatine

Creatinine is a byproduct of the breakdown of creatine, a building block of muscles. When kidney function is poor, the creatinine content in the blood increases. Comparing the amount of creatinine passed in the urine with the concentration of creatinine in the blood, creatinine clearance (also called creatinine clearance) is frequently used to assess kidney function. Normal values for humans are between 97 and 137 ml / min. and for women, between 88 and 128 ml / min.
The best way to diagnose it early is to screen people routinely with one or more risk factors for chronic kidney disease, especially diabetes and high blood pressure. This screening is particularly important for delaying the progression of renal failure. This screening consists of a blood test for creatinine and a 24-hour urinalysis to calculate creatinine clearance, as well as to test for protein in the urine. Normally, creatinine must be eliminated by the kidneys in the urine. As soon as its level increases abnormally in the blood, it means that kidney function is no longer sufficient. Its level in the blood should not exceed 115 micromoles per liter, or 7 to 13 mg. The percentage of creatinine elimination gradually deteriorates until the patient has renal failure. Chronic renal failure is defined, regardless of its cause, by the persistence beyond 3 months of markers of renal impairment.
Kidney dysfunction is also assessed by measuring the amount of blood plasma filtered per minute by the kidneys. This analysis is called the "glomerular filtration rate" (or GFR). In current practice, the glomerular filtration rate is estimated using an equation (called CKD-EPI) from the level of creatinine in the blood (serum creatinine) determined by the enzymatic method. The 2nd definition of renal failure is linked to GFR and corresponds to a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) less than 60ml / min / 1.73m².
At the same time, we look in the urine for the presence of markers of renal damage such as albumin ("proteinuria"), white blood cells ("leukocytes"), red blood cells ("red blood cells"). Their presence can be revealed by strips or measured, more precisely, in urine in the laboratory.
These first elements make it possible to estimate whether it is an advanced renal failure and if it is at risk of rapid progression (= presence of proteinuria) which will require rapid recourse to a doctor specializing in the kidneys, the " nephrologist ”.
Apart from this situation, the diagnosis should be confirmed, by repeating the tests within 3 months, preferably in the same laboratory and supplemented by renal ultrasound.

Once the diagnosis is made, a complete work-up allows the cause of chronic kidney disease and its possible repercussions on the body to be determined.
In the event of acute renal failure linked to a mechanical obstacle, the diagnosis calls for various medical imaging techniques to visualize the dilation of the urinary tract and, possibly, the obstacle responsible: CT scan and ultrasound of the kidneys.

People with chronic kidney disease can remain in apparent good health with kidneys functioning at 10-20% of their normal capacity. It is only at a very advanced stage that kidney failure causes the most troublesome signs.

According to the American classification, there are 5 stages of chronic kidney disease depending on the renal filtration rate (GFR) estimated by the MDRD formula:

• Stage 1:
Chronic kidney disease with markers of kidney damage

GFR greater than or equal to 90 ml / min.

• Stage 2:
Minimal chronic renal failure

DFG between 89 and 60 ml / min.

• Stage 3:
Moderate chronic renal failure

DFG between 59 and 30 ml / min.

• Stage 4:
Severe chronic renal failure

DFG between 29 and 15 ml / min.

• Stage 5:
End-stage chronic renal failure

GFR less than 15 ml / min.

Other anomalies

Blood tests can also detect anemia, which is common in patients with kidney failure. Likewise, there are often anomalies in the calcium / phosphate balance; the blood phosphate level is too high and the calcium level too low which can lead to bone problems. In the event of advanced renal failure, the doctor should also check for too high a potassium content in the blood, which may lead to cardiac arrhythmias. Determining the concentration of lipids in the blood is also essential. In advanced kidney failure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels are often increased, while the “good” cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol) is usually too low, resulting in an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Blood tests should finally look for the presence of any excess uric acid in the blood, responsible for the appearance of gout.

Treatments

Dialysis: it is a filtration process by which waste is separated from substances essential for the functioning of the body. This filtration process takes place through a partially permeable septum (membrane). Waste products in the blood flow through the membrane into the dialysis fluid (on the other side of the membrane). This liquid has a composition similar to that of blood plasma. The membrane through which the filtration is carried out is said to be semi-permeable because it allows small molecules such as sodium or potassium to pass, but retains red blood cells and proteins, for example.

Hemodialysis: this consists of sending blood through a small pipe to the artificial kidney, which contains the filtration membranes and the dialysis solution (or dialysate). The artificial kidney consists in particular of a filter, the dialyzer, which contains a membrane separating two compartments. The first contains the blood taken from the patient, the second the dialysis fluid. It is through this membrane that the exchanges between the blood and the dialysis fluid take place so as to rebalance the blood composition and eliminate waste such as creatinine or excess water.

Peritoneal dialysis: In this treatment, the blood is not conducted outside the body because it is the patient's peritoneum itself which acts as a partially permeable membrane. The peritoneum is a double membrane that lines the wall of the abdomen (stomach) on the one hand, and the abdominal organs: intestine, stomach, liver, etc. Normally, these two membranes are stuck together and it is in the tiny space between them that the dialysis fluid is brought by a catheter. The peritoneum, which measures approximately 2 m2, is richly irrigated by small blood vessels. Exchanges therefore take place between the blood contained in the blood vessels of the peritoneum and the dialysis fluid which has been introduced into the abdomen.

Natural healing with Rénalyse

Rénalyse is an all-natural product that promotes the release of adult stem cells (hematopoietic and mesenchymal). It regenerates the kidneys, restores the glomeruli, purifies the blood of metabolic waste products, promotes the elimination of urine, stabilizes blood pressure and blood sugar. Rénalysis gradually restores and completely restores the renal system.