Kidney diseases are silent, severe conditions can lead to hemodialysis treatment

Control blood pressure, regulate blood and bone formation, and balance the body’s chemical and fluid balance. These are some of the functions of the kidneys, essential for the functioning of the human body.

Kidney disorders can be silent, failing to show symptoms at an early stage. This characteristic increases the risk of developing chronic forms of the disease. Currently, it is estimated that about ten million Brazilians live with related diseases, according to the Ministry of Health.

Chronic kidney diseases are directly related to lifestyles and conditions. Healthy eating, regular exercise and drinking plenty of water help to avoid the problem. Treating and controlling risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cardiovascular disease and smoking are the main ways to prevent kidney disease. Early diagnosis helps prevent disease progression in most cases.

The scenario is aggravated by the high incidence of arterial hypertension and diabetes in the population. As the kidneys are responsible for controlling blood pressure, such diseases tend to overwhelm the organs.

While high blood pressure can both be the cause and the consequence of kidney dysfunction, diabetes in turn damages the organ’s blood vessels, interfering with the functioning of the kidneys, which cannot filter blood properly. As a result, about 25% of people with type I diabetes and between 5 and 10% of people with type II diabetes develop kidney failure.

Risks of aggravation

Silent most of the time, chronic kidney disease is characterized by a gradual loss of kidney function. There are a number of diseases that, depending on severity or inadequate treatment, can contribute to kidney damage.

“The main causes that lead to chronic kidney disease, that is, the loss of kidney function, are diabetes and hypertension. They are very common in the population and are linked to obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. There are other causes that can also lead to loss of renal function, such as renal calculi, urinary infections that affect the kidney – not that simple cystitis that only makes it painful to urinate, but that urinary infection that is accompanied by fever”, explains the nephrologist Hugo Abensur, responsible for dialysis at the Hospital das Clínicas in São Paulo.

Kidney dysfunction can be identified by urinalysis and blood work. In the first case, the professional will be able to identify the presence of a protein called albumin, while in blood tests the presence of creatinine can be investigated, which will indicate the malfunction of the kidney.

“Patients with diabetes, high blood pressure, people with a family history of kidney disease and the elderly are the group most at risk for developing chronic kidney disease”, adds Abensur.

Chronic kidney disease has no cure, but treatment allows you to delay or stop the progression of the condition and prevent the development of other serious conditions. The use of medication and diet control can be prescribed by specialized doctors. In more extreme cases, it may be necessary to perform dialysis sessions or kidney transplantation, as a definitive measure to replace kidney function.

Kidney transplantation

Kidneys are the main filters of the human body and can filter more than 180 liters of blood per day in the human body. They are responsible for eliminating toxins and excess water present in the blood. In addition, the organ plays a fundamental role in the formation of bones, hormones and in the regulation of blood pressure.

The two reddish-brown, bean-shaped organs are in the lower back, behind the liver and stomach, on either side of the spine. Because they are a pair, in addition to the donation after death, it is possible to transfer one of the organs for transplant while still alive, since renal function can be maintained by a single kidney, without causing damage to the donor’s health.

For a patient to receive the donation, it is necessary to present a condition of irreversible failure, that is, when the organs have lost their basic functions. Before reaching that point, however, the greatest risk is because kidney diseases do not have significant symptoms in the early stage.

When not treated correctly, they can evolve into serious conditions such as kidney failure, in which the patient needs treatment such as dialysis or transplantation.

In Brazil, the kidneys are the most transplanted organs. In 2021, there were 4,831 procedures and, last year, 5,368, with 88% and 86% of the procedures, respectively, having full funding of the transplant carried out by the Unified Health System (SUS).

(With information from Sandra Capomaccio, from Jornal da USP)