Understanding kidney failure
When you have chronic kidney disease, you can also have problems with how the rest of your body works.
Randburg Sun spoke to Lean de Witt of Baobab Kidney Clinic in Randburg about some of the effects of kidney failure and how best to treat it.
“Your kidneys help your whole body work properly. When you have chronic kidney disease, you can also have problems with how the rest of your body works.
Some of the complications include anaemia, bone disease, heart disease, high potassium, high calcium and fluid build-up,” said De Witt.
Initial symptoms of kidney failure include:
- Itching
- Muscle cramps
- Nausea and vomiting
- Decreased appetite
- Swelling of feet and ankles
- Increased urination
- Trouble catching your breath
- Trouble sleeping.
She added that should one experience these symptoms, they should visit a doctor who would perform a series of tests in order to ascertain the cause of the symptoms. Once kidney failure has been identified, the patient would be referred to a specialist physician or nephrologist.
When kidneys are not functioning, they do not take out enough fluid from the blood causing extra fluid to build up. This, in turn, causes issues with the heart and lungs, De Wit explained.
When this occurs, dialysis is needed.
“If you don’t go for dialysis, you will have a build-up of toxins called urea and creatinine which can be severely toxic to the patient if it isn’t kept in check by means of dialysis and, in certain cases, medication as well.”
De Witt emphasised that controlling one’s fluid intake whilst being on dialysis could help prevent these complications and lower the risk of further kidney damage. “This is where the dialysis machine comes in, it removes both excess toxins and excess fluids.
“The Baobab Kidney Clinic is more intimate and personal than other, larger units. We offer the same service as any other clinic but the difference is that we aim to bring dialysis to the neighbourhood in a more convenient and personal setting.”
De Wit warned that damage to your kidneys is usually permanent. Although the damage cannot be fixed, you can take steps to keep your kidneys as healthy as possible for as long as possible.
De Witt suggested the following tips to prevent kidney damage:
- Control blood sugar if suffering from diabetes
- Keep a healthy blood pressure
- Follow a low-salt, low-fat diet
- Exercise at least 30 minutes on most days of the week
- Keep a healthy weight
- Do not smoke or use tobacco
- Limit alcohol intake
- Talk to your doctor about medicines that can help protect your kidneys.
