Kidney Disease - Kundan Kidney Care Centre

Kidney diseases can adversely affect your sex life by decreasing sexual interest and ability. There are a variety of factors that contribute to this including chemical and physical changes and medication which impinge on sexual function.

The body undergoes chemical changes when it is afflicted with a kidney disease which affects hormones, circulation, energy level and nerve function. Meanwhile, physical changes may also make kidney patients feel less sexually attractive. For example, steroids cause water retention resulting to weight gain, acne and hair growth or loss. Surgical scars can also make patients insecure about their bodies. All these contribute to the loss of sexual interest and functioning.

Kidney Transplant and Dialysis Patients

There is also concern that sexual activity may harm the patient by interfering with dialysis access. However, health care professionals contend that as long as no pressure is applied on the access site that will cause damage, sexual activity should not be hampered. Meanwhile, patients who received kidney transplants should wait for the scars to heal before resuming sexual activity. It is best to consult with your doctor when you are uncertain.

In contrast to transplant patients, dialysis patients have more sexual problems because of fatigue and anemia. However, even transplant patients can have concerns because of factors like stress, age, relationship issues and physical conditions. Those on dialysis treatments should maintain their positive attitude on sex to decrease the chances of having severe sexual problems. Interest in sexual activity may return when the patient starts to feel better, physically and emotionally, as a result of the treatment. Sometimes, the interest is no longer there and couples may require the help of a professional sex therapist.

Physical and Psychological Sexual Problems

Health care professionals have these recommendations if the problem is physical in nature. Men who have difficulty maintaining an erection have the option of getting penile implant surgeries that place semi-rigid rods into the penis. Other options are: use of male hormones, use of oral and injectable medications and use of external suction devices. Doctors trained on impotence can provide all the information needed by the patient.

Meanwhile, women kidney patients may suffer from vaginal dryness and pain during sexual activity. Dryness is caused by lower hormone levels. This can be addressed by changing the blood pressure medicine or with extra hormones. Meanwhile, pain associated with intercourse can be addressed with the use of a water-soluble vaginal lubricant. Patients are advised against using petroleum jelly because it may increase the risk of infection. Again, doctors can provide the information on available options.

If the problem is psychological, relaxation and physical exercises will help control anxiety towards sexual function. Kidney failure gives a person a lot of negative emotions like anxiety and depression which cause decreased sexual interest and functioning. These emotions also drain a person’s energy. If relaxation and physical exercises do not help, sex therapy is an option. However, some of the options given for physical sexual problems may also help even if the problem is psychological.

Problems such as low sexual interest, reaching climax too early or too long, painful intercourse, and erection challenges can be addressed by the sex therapist. When sex therapy is sought as a solution, sexual education for the patient or for both partners is the first step. This is followed by communication exercises to help the couple relate better to each other. Stress reduction activities such as relaxation techniques like meditation or yoga may also be recommended. The sex therapist may further introduce ways of improving skills on how to give and receive pleasurable touches. Look for licensed sex therapists with backgrounds in psychiatry, psychology, social work or is a physician.

Kidney Disease

Kidneys Can Recover

KundanKidneyCare May 13, 2015

It’s sometimes been a controversial claim: that diseased kidneys can be regenerated, and that those facing dialysis or even transplants because of kidney disease may one day be able to have their kidneys healed instead. Some branches of non-traditional or non-Western medicine have actually had good success treating and even regenerating diseased kidneys with carefully crafted herbal treatments. But certainly the Western style of allopathic medicine has often been reluctant to consider the possibility of regeneration and healing, let alone actually embrace the idea.

However, there is now evidence, coming from Western medical research itself, that kidneys can indeed be regenerated. A team working through Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the University of Pittsburgh have discovered stem cells in zebra fish kidneys that can be transplanted into other zebra fish to generate new nephrons.

These nephrons are the filtering structures inside kidneys. In humans, because stem cells disappear around the time of birth, people lose the ability to regenerate these structures. But the information derived from research with the zebra fish suggests that there are indeed ways to regenerate diseased kidneys. The research may suggest different ways than those used in herbal medicine, but these results at least opens a door to considering what hasn’t been considered before. Western medical practitioners may now begin to reconsider the claims made by their counterparts practising natural medical treatments.

This work with zebra fish is just one of the ways that stem cell research is revolutionizing the practice of medicine. And even though the research comes from the more Western, allopathic side of the medical equation, there really doesn’t need to be an either/or choice about it. With the wellbeing of the person with kidney disease being the goal of all treatment, any insight that improves their health and may eventually lead to a cure can be a welcome development.

Kidney Disease, Kundan Kidney Care Centre, Risk Factors

Physical Fitness Improves Kidney Disease Outcomes

KundanKidneyCare May 13, 2015

It may seem a little unfair to talk to patients with kidney disease, especially those on dialysis, about how physically fit they are, when they’ve already got so much to deal with. It may be tempting for them to feel that they need to keep quiet and relaxed so they don’t strain anything. But keeping as fit as possible can actually help their condition.

We already know that interconnections in the body mean that if you have one physical problem, like diabetes, you have a higher likelihood of developing others such as hypertension or kidney failure. In the same way, strengthening the body to deal with or prevent one problem can ease a related problem. So a person may find that by getting some exercise they will lower their blood pressure and perhaps lose some weight. This, in turn, will ease the strain on the kidneys. And having good muscle tone and a well functioning cardiovascular system will always be of benefit.

The National Kidney Foundation recommends exercise for kidney patients, but also recognizes that they shouldn’t overdo things. It’s probably not a wise move, for example, to plan a climbing excursion to Mount Everest. But after consultation with a doctor, these patients can engage in certain recommended activities. Heavy lifting is probably out, but there are other things that can be done, some of them fairly strenuous.

For example, a type of workout that exercises a large array of muscle groups at once, and goes on continuously, can be very beneficial. This would include things like swimming, walking, cycling, or even skiing. Exercise sessions should go perhaps 30-45 minutes, every second day, three days a week.

Kidney patients may be uneasy about the extra work they might make their bodies do by exercising. But under a doctor’s supervision, getting themselves in as good a shape as possible will only do them good.

(Further reading: National Kidney Foundation)

Kidney Diet, Kidney Disease, Kundan Kidney Care Centre

Kidney Disease and Packaged Foods

KundanKidneyCare May 10, 2015

Nephrologists in India have concluded that one thing those with kidney disease should avoid is packaged foods. And needless to say, this precaution doesn’t just apply to India. Pre-packaged foods, full of preservatives and other chemicals, are prevalent all over the world. So this caution applies in many other countries as well.

Doctor K.C. Prakash, a senior consulting nephrologist for the Apollo Hospitals in India, reminds people of the bad effects from some of these extra chemicals in packaged food. He notes that one effect of eating a lot of this food is an increase of potassium in the body. Those suffering from chronic kidney disease or renal failure have less ability to eliminate potassium. Therefore, if they accumulate too much potassium, it could result in heart problems or outright heart failure.

Another problem with packaged food is that it tends to be much saltier than freshly cooked food. Extra salt is one thing that helps preserve these meals, after all, to extend their shelf life. Yet it’s a well-proven fact that too much salt can cause or worsen hypertension (high blood pressure), which also puts a strain on the kidneys.

There are other substances in these foods, such as phosphorus, that cause problems with other parts of the body. But for people in renal failure or even in the early stages of kidney disease, the salt and extra potassium alone should be enough to set off alarm bells. Checking labels to find the actual contents in packaged food can be a real eye-opener.

These cautions are helpful for both kidney patients and those with healthy kidneys. Eating fresh, healthy foods is almost always recommended for achieving or maintaining good health. This information about how packaged foods can affect people with kidney disease just provides one more reason.

(Further information: Times of India, December 29, 2010)

Kidney Disease, Kundan Kidney Care Centre, Risk Factors

Lupus and Kidney Disease may be a Deadly Combination

KundanKidneyCare May 8, 2015

Kidney disease is related to a great many other diseases and conditions, the most common being high blood pressure and heart and stroke problems. But another condition it’s often linked with is lupus. And for those who have both lupus and kidney disease, the prognosis is unfortunately not good.

Systemic lupus erathymatosus, usually just called lupus, causes damage to the skin, joints, brain, and also to the kidneys. In fact, according to an article on the HealthDay website (Kidney Disease Could Be More Deadly for Kids With Lupus, Friday December 17, 2010), about eighty percent of children with lupus also suffer kidney damage. But whether it’s adults or children who have end-stage kidney disease caused by lupus, all have a higher likelihood of death from any cause than those who have the same kidney problems stemming from a different source.

Researchers from both Johns Hopkins University and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia studied the cases of 98,000 children, and this conclusion is what the evidence suggested. Children were 2.4 times more likely to die, when suffering from kidney disease caused by lupus, than children whose disease was caused by something else. Adults had a slightly better record, yet they were still almost twice as many times more likely to die.

While many causes seemed to lead to death for people with kidney disease caused by lupus, the most common cause, according to the study, seemed to be cardiovascular disease and cardiac arrest. For this reason, the researchers suggest that patients with the lupus-kidney combination probably need extra monitoring for atherosclerosis, or the thickening of the walls of the arteries. And when kidney patients are also diagnosed with lupus, that should send up a red flag of warning, so doctors can be more alert to the increased risks of death.

The study, entitled Increased risk of death in pediatric and adult patients with ESRD secondary to lupus, is published in the January 2011 issue of the journal, Pediatric Nephrology.

Kidney Disease

What is Creatinine?

KundanKidneyCare May 7, 2015 Leave a comment

Creatinine is a chemical waste molecule that is generated from muscle metabolism. Creatinine is produced from creatine, a molecule of major importance for energy production in muscles. Approximately 2% of the body’s creatine is converted to creatinine every day. Creatinine is transported through the bloodstream to the kidneys. The kidneys filter out most of the creatinine and dispose of it in the urine.

Because the muscle mass in the body is relatively constant from day to day, the creatinine production normally remains essentially unchanged on a daily basis.

The kidneys maintain the blood creatinine in a normal range. Creatinine has been found to be a fairly reliable indicator of kidney function. Elevated creatinine level signifies impaired kidney function or kidney disease.

As the kidneys become impaired for any reason, the creatinine level in the blood will rise due to poor clearance of creatinine by the kidneys. Abnormally high levels of creatinine thus warn of possible malfunction or failure of the kidneys. It is for this reason that standard blood tests routinely check the amount of creatinine in the blood.

A more precise measure of the kidney function can be estimated by calculating how much creatinine is cleared from the body by the kidneys. This is referred to as creatinine clearance and it estimates the rate of filtration by kidneys (glomerular filtration rate, or GFR). The creatinine clearance can be measured in two ways. It can be calculated (estimated) by a formula using serum (blood) creatinine level, patient’s weight, and age. The formula is 140 minus the patient’s age in years times their weight in kilograms (times 0.85 for women), divided by 72 times the serum creatinine level in mg/dL. Creatinine clearance can also be more directly measured by collecting a 24-hour urine sample and then drawing a blood sample. The creatinine levels in both urine and blood are determined and compared. Normal creatinine clearance for healthy women is 88-128 mL/min. and 97 to 137 mL/min. in males (normal levels may vary slightly between labs).

Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level is another indicator of kidney function. Urea is also a metabolic byproduct which can build up if kidney function is impaired. The BUN-to-creatinine ratio generally provides more precise information about kidney function and its possible underlying cause compared with creatinine level alone. BUN also increases with dehydration.

Kidney Disease, Kundan Kidney Care Centre, Risk Factors

E. Coli and Kidney Problems

KundanKidneyCare May 4, 2015

Sometimes a person’s kidneys are adversely affected not just by their own lifestyle, but by illnesses they have little control over. One example was recently discussed in an article in the online version of the British Medical Journal. Several researchers analyzed information from the Walkerton Health Study. This study followed the health of citizens of the Canadian town of Walkerton, Ontario, after their municipal water system was infected with E. coli O157:H7 in May of 2000. Almost two thousand people who had contracted gastroenteritis at the time were monitored for several years.

The results indicated a higher likelihood of experiencing high blood pressure, heart problems, and renal impairment for those who had been infected and developed gastroenteritis symptoms than for those who had not. The risk of high blood pressure was 1.3 times higher, the chance of having either a stroke or heart attack was almost twice as high, and the likelihood of kidney problems was about three times higher.

This analysis is not only pertinent in cases like that of Walkerton, in which E. coli contamination hits an entire community. Most warmblooded organisms have forms of E. coli in their systems, and it is also found in many environments. Most strains are not harmful, but those like O157:H7 can be deadly. The presence of E. coli often indicates fecal contamination, yet it also enters an environment in other ways.

What this means is that people can contract gastroenteritis from E. coli in ways apart from disasters like that which struck Walkerton. So for those who do encounter these bacteria, whether through mass contamination or in less obvious ways, it is important to monitor their health carefully from that point on. As well as being at a higher risk for blood pressure or heart problems, they will need to be on the watch for potential kidney problems as well.

(Further reading: British Medical Journal, reference BMJ 2010; 341:c6020, November 17, 2010; Medical News Today, November 21, 2010)

Kidney Diet, Kidney Disease, Kundan Kidney Care Centre

Lowering Salt Will Always Help Your Kidneys

KundanKidneyCare May 3, 2015

The idea seems straightforward when you think of high blood pressure: if you lower your salt intake, you will help to lower the blood pressure, or at least prevent it from getting worse. But the systems in our bodies don’t operate in isolation, and the good you do for one of them is bound to have positive effects in others. This was demonstrated yet again by a review conducted by the Cochrane Collaboration Renal Group.

This group reviewed thirteen studies relating to salt intake in diabetic patients. What they found was not entirely surprising, but the implications of their conclusions are widespread. First of all, they confirmed once again the connection of high salt intake and blood pressure issues. So clearly, diabetics would do well to reduce salt levels in their diet for that reason alone, because this reduction lowers the risk of strokes, heart attacks, and heart failure.

But the evidence gathered in the same studies also reinforces the understanding that high blood pressure is just as hard on the kidneys as on the heart. The studies also suggested that even for people whose blood pressure hasn’t yet inched into the “high” range, lowering salt intake will still have a positive effect on heart and kidney health.

This isn’t necessarily a rule condemning people to a life of tasteless food, however. Removing salt from one’s diet provides the opportunity to discover the natural, intrinsic tastes of food, and to combine these tastes into something that as delicious without needing a salty boost. While easing the blood pressure and helping the heart and kidneys, the lessening of salt might open up a whole new culinary world.

(View the Cochrane Renal Group Summary: Suckling RJ, He FJ, MacGregor GA. Altered dietary salt intake for preventing and treating diabetic kidney disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 12. Art. No.: CD006763. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006763.pub2)

(Further reading: PulseToday, December 9, 2010; Nursing Times, December 10, 2010)

Kidney Disease, Kundan Kidney Care Centre

Polycystic: Not Your Garden Variety Kidney Disease

KundanKidneyCare May 1, 2015

Most of the kidney disease people experience is caused by factors such as high blood pressure or as a complication of conditions like diabetes. But Polycystic Kidney Disease (or PKD) is a type of kidney disease that is of a completely different order. This is a condition that results from a person’s own genetic makeup.

The disorder, as its name suggests, causes multiple cysts to form mainly in the kidneys, although they can appear in other parts of the body too. These cysts are filled with fluid, and often enlarge the kidneys, sometimes until they weigh several pounds. The cysts take up space normally available for filtering purposes, which can ultimately lead to kidney failure. They also create higher blood pressure, which can go on to do other damage to the kidneys as well.

Symptoms of PKD, apart from high blood pressure, can include back pain, blood in the urine, an increase in abdomen size, and kidney stones. Cysts may also be found in other parts of the body such as the liver or pancreas, and they may even cause aneurysms in the brain.

Diagnosis is often not made until this condition has progressed quite far, but if a family member is known to have PKD, a person’s own chances of having it are increased. Blood and urine tests often don’t detect the problem early either, but ultrasound imaging, at least, can detect cysts greater than a half inch in size. Genetic tests can discern whether a person has the gene for PKD.

There is no prevention or cure available for PKD, but detection of the gene does give a person a chance to take some control. Regulating diet and blood pressure can help, and there are treatments for results of PKD such as pain, kidney stones, and headaches. As with all other forms of kidney disease, a healthy diet and blood pressure control are some of the most helpful steps to take.

(Further reading: Mayo Clinic – Polycystic Kidney Disease; MedicineNet.com – What is Polycystic Kidney Disease?)

Kidney Disease

High Blood Pressure and Kidney Disease

KundanKidneyCare April 29, 2015

High blood pressure is one of the risk factors for kidney disease. This doesn’t mean that blood pressure problems always lead to problems with the kidneys, but high blood pressure is certainly one of the things that can cause them damage. But how exactly does it do that?

According to MedicineNet.com, the damage from high presure is caused not just to the kidneys, but to a person’s blood vessels in general. The measurement of one’s blood pressure involves how much force the blood exerts against the walls of the blood vessels as the heart pumps. Various factors like retention of fluid or clogged vessels can make the heart work harder and increase the pressure as it works to push blood through.

One reason high blood pressure can lead to kidney problems is that it damages the blood vessels there as well as in other parts of the body. This sometimes results in substances collecting along the inside walls of the blood vessels, thickening them so that the blood pressure goes up. And a vicious cycle can often be created, in which the kidneys can’t remove all the wastes carried in the blood vessels, which leads to a higher fluid volume in the blood vessels, which leads to higher blood pressure.

As is the case with other physical causes of kidney disease, the root issue is frequently that the kidneys are simply made to work much harder than they should. Eventually they simply wear out, and stop being capable of filtering wastes out of the blood. Damage caused to blood vessels by high blood pressure is one of the insidious ways kidneys can be harmed.

People most often think of strokes and heart attacks as dangers people can face if they have high blood pressure. But kidney failure is another major risk, and demonstrates another reason why it is absolutely necessary to keep one’s blood pressure under control.

(Further reading: MedicineNet.com; Wikipedia – Hypertensive Nephropathy)

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Category Archives: Kidney Disease

Kidney Diseases Have Bad Impact on Sex Life

Kidneys Can Recover

Physical Fitness Improves Kidney Disease Outcomes

Kidney Disease and Packaged Foods

Lupus and Kidney Disease may be a Deadly Combination

What is Creatinine?

E. Coli and Kidney Problems

Lowering Salt Will Always Help Your Kidneys

Polycystic: Not Your Garden Variety Kidney Disease

High Blood Pressure and Kidney Disease