More than twenty million Americans have kidney problems like urinary tract infections, kidney stones, kidney cancer, polycystic kidney disease, nephritic syndrome, and genetic disorders. When these conditions are left, they lead to chronic kidney disease. When CKD is allowed to progress beyond the early stages, the kidneys begin to work so poorly that they are said to be failing. At this point, the only treatment options are dialysis or kidney transplant.
Cause
The main causes of chronic kidney disease
- Diabetes.
- High blood pressure and Glomerulonephritis
Treatment
There is no cure for chronic kidney disease. The four goals of therapy are as follows:
- To delay the disease progression
- To treat underlying causes
- To treat complications
- To replace the reduced kidney function
This objective can be achieved by controlling the main cause of chronic kidney disease.
- Control of blood glucose: diabetics have a much larger risk of be affected with chronic kidney disease than any other group. Diabetes must be controlled with medicines or drugs to halt the spread of chronic kidney disease
- Control of high blood pressure: blood pressure must be controlled to below 130/80 mm Hg to reduce the workload on the kidney and to prevent kidney disease.. Blood pressure medications known as angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) are extremely effective in controlling chronic kidney disease and protecting the kidneys.
- Diet:
