World Kidney Day – Have you received the various distress signals from the kidneys?

The kidneys are important organs of the human body and play a very important role in human health. However, the kidneys have a huge compensatory function, and the symptoms are not obvious after the lesion occurs, so that it is ignored by many patients, and the lesion worsens to the terminal stage, which is painful.

March 10 is the 17th World Kidney Day, and this year's theme is "Everyone Cares About Kidney Health - I Love My Kidney, Knowledge Strengthens Kidney", which aims to raise people's awareness of chronic kidney disease through publicity and education, and use knowledge actions to strengthen kidney protection, thereby reducing the impact of kidney-related diseases on health.

The mortality rate from chronic kidney disease is still increasing year by year

Xue Zhiqiang, chief physician of the Department of Nephrology of Qingyuan People's Hospital, introduced that the kidney is an important metabolic organ of the human body, just like the "sanitation worker" in the body, when the blood flows through the kidney, the metabolic waste, excess salt and water form urine and excrete it.

In addition to metabolism, the kidneys are also experts at regulating blood pressure, which releases a hormone that regulates blood pressure in the human body. The kidneys also promote erythrocyte production, which acts on the hematopoietic system. In addition, the kidneys can also promote the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the gastrointestinal tract, maintaining healthy teeth and bones.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) occurs when there are kidney problems due to various reasons, causing damage to the structure or function of the kidneys, and this damage lasts more than 3 months.

As one of the most common diseases in nephrology, chronic kidney disease seriously threatens people's health. According to statistics, 1 in 10 people in the world has chronic kidney disease, and the mortality rate caused by chronic kidney disease is still increasing year by year, and it is predicted that by 2040, it will become the fifth leading cause of death. At present, the incidence of chronic kidney disease in the mainland is 10.8% and has an upward trend. Chronic nephritis, diabetes, and hypertension are the most common causes of chronic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease is a chronic disease that continues to progress, causing irreversible damage to the kidneys and affecting multiple systems throughout the body. According to the glomerular filtration rate, chronic kidney disease is clinically divided into 5 stages.

At different stages of chronic kidney disease, its clinical manifestations also vary. Because the kidneys have a very strong compensatory function, before stage 3, most patients can be asymptomatic, or only mild discomfort such as fatigue, lumbar acidity, and increased nocturia; a small number of patients may have loss of appetite, metabolic acidosis, and mild anemia. After stage 3, the above symptoms become more obvious, and after entering the renal failure stage, they are further aggravated. When the disease progresses to stage 5, it is often called "uremia", and if it is not treated in time, it will be life-threatening.

"Once you reach the stage of uremia, the progress of the disease will be very fast." Xue Zhiqiang said that uremia is a variety of diseases leading to kidney damage, the kidneys gradually occur irreversible fibrosis, hardening, the function of excreting waste and water is seriously reduced, resulting in the accumulation of toxins in the body, internal environmental disorders, multi-organ, system dysfunction.

Be careful about early symptoms

However, from chronic kidney disease stage 1 to uremia does not occur in a short period of time. Xue Zhiqiang said that if chronic kidney disease can be detected early and treated in time, it will help control the progression of the disease and improve the treatment effect.

Chronic kidney disease symptoms are so insidious, so how can it be detected early? Xue Zhiqiang introduced that in daily life, it can be observed from the following aspects.

Kidney problems, the most direct embodiment is in the change of urine, pay attention to the change of urine and urine output, and whether there are symptoms of urinary frequency, urgency, and pain. In patients with chronic kidney disease, due to the decline in the filtration function of the kidneys, some patients will have a gradual decrease in urine output as the disease worsens. There are also some patients with normal urine output, but because the function of the kidneys has declined, so the quality of urine has declined, once there is an increase in urine foam, hematuria and other abnormalities, it may be a problem with kidney function.

Hematologic symptoms. The earliest manifestations are often neuromuscular symptoms such as fatigue, lack of concentration, and insomnia. With the increase in the level of toxins in the body, there may be increased menstrual flow, nosebleeds, bleeding gums, ecchymosis of the skin, pallor, fatigue and so on.

Because the kidneys secrete a hematopoietic substance - erythropoietin, the secretion of the substance will decrease after the kidney function declines, and the production of erythrocytes will be impaired, and gradually anemia will come out, also known as renal anemia. Therefore, if you go to the hospital to check, you will find abnormal coagulation function, anemia, thrombocytopenia and so on.

Gastrointestinal symptoms. Some patients often have nausea and vomiting when they brush their teeth in the morning. This phenomenon may not last long and can improve with diversion. In fact, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite is the early and most common manifestation of uremia, if you think that nausea and vomiting are stomach diseases, oral gastric drugs will delay the condition.

Manifestations of the cardiovascular system. Kidney disease can cause high blood pressure, and high blood pressure can also damage the kidneys. When kidney function is impaired, water and sodium retention occur in the body, resulting in increased blood volume and high blood pressure. Secondary hypertension caused by chronic nephritis, primary hyperaldosteronism, etc., persistent hypertension can lead to increased cardiac load and can also induce heart failure.

Puffiness appears on the body. Early edema is mainly manifested as eyelid puffiness and/or both lower extremity depression edema, late stage can appear body cavity effusion, that is, chest cavity and abdominal fluid, chest tightness and shortness of breath or bloating; if edema is found and the amount of urine is significantly reduced, it is necessary to seek medical attention in time.

Neuromuscular system symptoms. The earliest manifestations are neurological symptoms such as fatigue and fatigue (relieved after rest), inattention, and insomnia.

In addition, uremia covers all systems of the body, and can also have bad breath, itchy skin, hand and foot twitches, sleep disorders and other manifestations.

Do not delay treatment

If the patient is suspected of having uremia, it is very simple to exclude kidney disease from blood routine, urine routine, kidney function, double kidney ultrasound, etc. For high-risk patients such as diabetes, hypertension, gout, obesity, etc., regular physical examinations are recommended for early intervention.

For patients with kidney disease, especially in the middle and late stages of kidney disease, their daily life and quality of life will be affected to varying degrees. In the face of disease, as far as possible to maintain a positive attitude, chronic kidney disease is not incurable.

"A lot of uremia patients are dragged out." Xue Zhiqiang said that many patients wait until the symptoms are serious before coming to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment, "This is the case of a patient I met before." ”

Xue Zhiqiang introduced that 28-year-old Xiao Zhao is one of his patients. Because of the busy work, Xiao Zhao often has to work overtime, and in such a working state for a long time, he begins to feel weak, but after resting, he can be relieved. This situation lasted for more than a month, and when he went to work, he was pallor and went to the hospital under the persuasion of his colleagues. After the examination, the doctor told Xiao Zhao that he was anemic. However, after an in-depth examination, it was found that it was not a disease of the blood system, but uremia.

"In his case, it should be more than a month, and if you can see the doctor earlier, the condition will not be so serious." Xue Zhiqiang said.

A good lifestyle is key

In many cases, the prevention and timely treatment of chronic kidney disease is critical. So, to reduce the incidence of chronic kidney disease, how should it be prevented? Xue Zhiqiang suggested that the most effective method is to conduct a routine urine examination once a year, early detection, and early treatment. Regular checks of urine routine and kidney function, most kidney diseases can be found in time, so as to achieve early intervention and treatment. For high-risk patients such as diabetes, hypertension, gout, obesity, etc., regular physical examinations are recommended for early intervention.

Pay attention to healthy eating habits and lifestyles in daily life. It is necessary to achieve a low-salt and low-fat diet, quit smoking and alcohol, and work and rest regularly. Develop a good and healthy lifestyle, choose your favorite physical fitness activity that you can adhere to for a long time, exercise and control your weight.

The last point to remind everyone is that you should not take drugs at will in your daily life, and if necessary, you should standardize the use under the guidance of a doctor, and pay attention to monitoring urine and kidney function to keep chronic kidney disease away.

【Written by】 Chen Zhiyu Liu Qiuyi

[Correspondent] Peng Keming

【Author】 Liu Qiuyi

【Source】 Southern Press Media Group South + client