
19/08/2024
In today's !
Chronic kidney disease occurs when the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) falls below 90 ml/min/1.73 m² over at least three months.
As a quick recap, kidneys regulate what’s in our blood through glomerular filtration. Blood is directed into tiny clumps of arterioles called glomeruli where it’s initially filtered, and the filtrate – the stuff that gets filtered out – moves into the renal tubule.
The rate at which this filtration takes place is GFR. In a normal healthy person, this is somewhere around 100-120 mLs of fluid filtered per minute per 1.73 m² of body surface area. The value is slightly less in biologically female individuals, and it decreases slowly in all of us as we grow older.
Chronic kidney disease is mainly caused by diabetes and hypertension. Other systemic diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis can also cause glomerulosclerosis. Additional causes of chronic kidney disease include infections like HIV, as well as long-term use of medications like NSAIDs, and toxins like the ones in to***co.
General signs and symptoms include nausea and a loss of appetite. Toxin buildup can also cause:
• Increased tendency for bleeding
• Encephalopathy resulting in asterixis, a hand tremor that kind of resembles a bird flapping its wings
• Pericarditis, which is inflammation of the lining of the heart
• Uremic frost, where urea crystals can deposit in the skin and look like powdery snowflakes
• Coma and death
To confirm the diagnosis of chronic kidney disease, a kidney biopsy can be done to look for changes like glomerulosclerosis.
Treatment often involves managing the underlying cause. In severe cases, dialysis or a kidney transplant might be needed.