About Kidney Disease

Dee Overly asked:


All Type-2 diabetics are in a very high risk group for kidney problems and kidney disease. Because diabetics release abnormal amounts of proteins in their urine called albumin, it is very important to eat healthy foods that reduce this protein.

Studies have been conducted over the last year that supports the theory that soy foods, rich in soy proteins, may help lower albumin released in the urine. Based upon the information known regarding soy proteins, it seems that the kidneys have a much harder time filtering waste from animal proteins. Because the kidneys do not need to work as hard to filter soy proteins, fewer albumins are produced.

Study Comparing Soy and Dairy Protein

One study involved a group of men from the ages of 63 to 73 who were Type-2 diabetics for at least 5 years. None of these men were on any medication that would interfere with the study and all of these men were checked for other conditions that could adversely change albumin levels. The men were then grouped and fed diets of soy protein and dairy protein.

Fasting blood and urine samples were collected throughout the seven-month study and results showed that the soy protein diet reduced albumin in the urine when compared with the dairy protein. The study also showed dramatic increases in HDL or good cholesterol and a decrease in cardiovascular risk factors and LDL cholesterol. Monitored patients also saw a reduced level of glucose levels.

Diabetics Often Avoid All Proteins

Some professionals in the medical field suggest that diabetics should avoid proteins all together due to the risk of kidney disease. However, more have started recommending a soy diet. It seems that links between soy proteins and the prevention of diabetic kidney disease are being brought to the forefront.

Many websites on diabetes and physicians feel that diets rich in soy proteins may prevent the on-set of diabetes. This is great news for the approximately one-third of diabetics who go on to find themselves dealing with this dreaded kidney disease.

How Much Soy for Diabetics is Safe and Beneficial

Many diabetics and those at risk for kidney disease wonder how much soy is needed to benefit them. Currently, the FDA recommends that all Americans consume approximately 25 grams of soy protein per day. Those who are on a diabetic diet or who follow stricter eating guidelines may want to base their soy diet on other means and not just the FDA.

There are not currently a lot of studies to answer the question of how much soy intake is suitable for diabetic diets. The non-profit organization, HCF Nutritional Research Foundation, recommends approximately one to two servings of high soy protein daily. They also recommend that individuals that choose to use soy protein in their diabetic diet choose soy foods low in fat or fat free. Good choices for low or fat free soy foods include tofu, soymilk, soy burgers, soy cheese, and tempeh.

Terri

robinmojo asked:


My 8 year german shepherd has just recently started to pee a little on her bed and the fresh pee smells strongly of ammonia. Could it be kidney disease? I am taking her to the vet but I would like some info so I can know what to expect.
Also I noticed a drop of blood on the floor this morning. So I think her heat has started. She seems a little down which is normal if she’s in heat. I wonder if those small wets spots on her bed were some kind of vaginal discharge and not pee at all. Though she’s never had that before with any heat. Also she doesn’t seem to be in any pain and she very playful and running around as usual.

Stanley

earthling asked:


My cat, 6 yrs old, could possibly have kidney failure (it might be a bladder infection but I won’t find out for another 2 weeks after antibiotics); he’s still energetic and doesn’t show any signs of illness. Ironically I have kidney disease as well and am using natural remedies like dandelion root tea and other herbs. Wheatgrass has also improved my health a lot. I am wondering these herbs would apply to cats as well?

Does anyone have any suggestions for diet (should it be homemade)? I’ve been doing research and they all say low salt, but some sites say good high quality protein while others say low protein. And should I stop using the chemical Frontline (flea medicine) on my cat?

Also, where on my cat are his kidneys located?

Thanks!

Theresa

vanawadoo asked:


My mom’s kidneys are infected. She takes regular blood tests and the doctor keeps track of the WBC, urea and creatinine level. There is fluctuations in her creatinine level but the doctor pays more attention to her WBC readings, which are normal. He says that as long as her WBC levels are normal, she has no infection and no need to worry about fluctuating creatinine levels. HOWEVER, the internet mentions about the importance of elevated creatinine levels and kidney damage. It says that high creatinine levels need dialysis ! It mentions about the importance of creatinine clearance in chronic kidney disease patient. My mom’s creatinine level is around 2.9, which is high. Does my mom has a chronic kidney disease too? Does she need dialysis? I am getting confused about this. Someone please help!

Michele

SexyArmyWife asked:


my cat was just diagnosed with kidney disease. ( i am a emotiona wreck) how long can t hey live with this? They said that some parts work,, some parts dont. please, any info!
he is at 75% kidney failure, no anemia, and took to iv therapy well. we will know more on sat, the only levels that are high, is his buh? and another one.

Diana

Muna wa Wanjiru asked:


Various types of crystals are found in the kidney stones. These crystals are calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate, a mixture of calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate and magnesium ammonium phosphate. Therefore, we can categorize these kidney stones as kidney stones calcium oxalate also.

In some cases, we can find that the scarcity of the Vitamin B6 account for higher formation and exertion of kidney stones and calcium oxalate. Also dehydration which is due to lack of water in the body, large amount of intake of Vitamin C, supplement of foods containing calcium and antacids having calcium are the main causes of the formation of the kidney stone calcium oxalate.

When there is too much exertion of uric acid that is also called as hyperuricosuria by any person cause formation of calcium stones in the urinary system of such person. If the quantity of urine is less than pH 5.5, that tend to formation of uric acid crystals and then calcium crystals start layering around these crystals to shape a calcium oxalate stone.

In the human body when pH is less than 6.0, then that cause the formation of acid in the urine by the crystal like Calcium oxalate of kidney stone. In the formation of calcium stone, Citrate is a large element. It shapes a soluble salt with calcium and slows down the shaping of crystals like calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate.

Oxalate forms an insoluble complex with calcium to develop calcium oxalate stone. High levels of oxalate in the urine, or hyperoxaluria, is even more important to stone formation than excess amounts calcium that can be termed as hypercalciuria. Calcium oxalate stones are generally caused by excess consumption of food stuff that contain high amounts of calcium. In addition, excessive intake of Vitamin C that is metabolized to oxalate may lead to hyperoxaluria and an increase in stone formation.

A condition known as enteric hyperoxaluria that is often observed in bowel resections,inflammatory bowel diseases and small bowel bypass procedures. With these conditions, there is an increase in bile salt and fatty acids that combine with calcium leading to increased oxalate available for absorption. With increased intestinal absorption of oxalate, there is an increase in urinary oxalate leading to formation of calcium oxalate stones. These patients have low urinary magnesium and citrate due to chronic metabolic acidosis caused by chronic diarrhea. These factors are mainly responsible for calcium oxalate kidney stones.

The kidney stone like calcium oxalate cause the diseases of the bowel, like Crohns disease can cause more absorbtion of oxalate from the bowel and make calcium oxalate stones more likely. A rare inherited tendency to produce more oxalate (hyperoxaluria), can result in kidney stones and kidney disease in childhood and early adulthood.

If you are suffering from kidney stones caused by calcium oxalate, then limiting oxalate content in foods will help you reduce the chances of reoccurence of oxalate stones. You should stay away from excess amounts of draft beer, sweet potatoes,tofu, oranges, leafy vegetables, grapes, chocolates, berries, beets, beans, and rhubarb. You will also have to follow a strict diet regime that has been designed by your physician or dietician in order to avoid calcium oxalate kidney stones.

Ben

Kimberly asked:


I have a history of polycytic kidney disease but do not have symptoms yet. I also have gestational diabetes . My doctor said that it is most likely that I will have type 2 diabetes after my pregnancy.
I have polycystic kidney disease now.

Jorge

amanda_l_blevins asked:


I am 7 months pregnant with my fist child and I have recently found out that my little girl has polycystic kidney diesase, the doc told me there is a possibility she could be fine and there is a possibility she couldn’t be. I was wondering if anyone else has had and experience with this also?

Chad

peterhutch asked:


Kidneys are as important to your health as your heart or lungs. Shaped like kidney beans and about the size of your fist, your kidneys are located on either side of your spine under the lower ribs. Their main task is to remove waste products and excess fluids from the body through the urine. The kidneys also ensure that the blood supply to your body’s tissues has the proper balance of water, minerals (sodium, potassium, phosphate, calcium, and magnesium) and other substances that the body needs to work properly.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is the permanent loss of kidney function. CKD may be the result of physical injury or a disease that damages the kidneys, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. When the kidneys are damaged, they do not remove wastes and extra water from the blood as well as they should.

Your body needs protein every day for growth, building muscles and repairing tissue. After your body uses the protein in the foods you eat, a waste product called urea is made. If you have lost kidney function, your kidneys may not be able to get rid of this urea normally. You may need to reduce the amount of protein you eat to avoid buildup of urea in your body. Protein is found in two types of foods:

In large amounts in foods from animal sources such as poultry, meat, seafood, eggs, milk, cheese and other dairy products.

In smaller amounts in foods from plant sources such as breads, cereals, other starches and grains, and vegetables and fruits.

Chronic kidney disease is caused by damage to the kidneys. The most common causes of this damage are:

High blood pressure.

It causes another 30% of all kidney disease. Because blood pressure often rises with chronic kidney disease, high blood pressure may further damage kidney function even when another medical condition initially caused the disease.

High blood sugar (diabetes).

Diabetes causes about 35% of all chronic kidney disease. High blood sugar levels caused by diabetes damage blood vessels in the kidneys. If the blood sugar level remains high, this damage gradually reduces the function of the kidneys.

Most people don’t have any symptoms early in the disease. Once the disease progresses, the symptoms can include the following:

Feeling tired

Feeling weak

Loss of appetite

Swelling of the feet and ankles

Changes in urination -making more or less urine than usual, feeling pressure when urinating, changes in the color of urine, foamy or bubbly urine, or having to get up at night to urinate.

Swelling of the feet, ankles, hands, or face -fluid the kidneys can’t remove may stay in the tissues.

When your kidneys can no longer do their job well, you have to control the kinds and amounts of food you eat. Together, you and your dietitian will make a daily eating plan which will:

1. Meet your nutritional needs

2. Cut down the workload on your kidneys

3. Help keep the kidney function that is left (before starting dialysis)

4. Control the build-up of food wastes like urea

5. Reduce symptoms like fatigue, nausea, itching and bad taste in the mouth.

Rick

Juliet Cohen asked:


Kidneys are a pair of organs located just behind the stomach. They filter bacteria and extra salt and water from the body. Healthy kidneys clean the blood by filtering out extra water and wastes. They also make hormones that keep your bones strong and blood healthy. Kidney failure is a serious disease which can have a major impact on life, and can ultimately be fatal. Kidney failure can happen quickly (days) or more slowly (months or years). The common causes of kidney failure are glomerulonephritis (inflammation of the kidney) and diabetes mellitus. Other causes of kidney failure are kidney stones, kidney cysts, an immune disorder called systemic lupus erythematosus, uncontrolled high blood pressure and drugs. Most people with chronic kidney failure need to take medicines.

Severe injuries or burns to your body and difficult surgery increase your risk of acute kidney failure, as can an overwhelming infection. Sometimes, a person with a life-threatening infection who receives an antibiotic, such as streptomycin or gentamicin, may go into acute kidney failure. There are three options when treating kidney failure. Hemodialysis ,Peritoneal dialysis and Kidney transplant.Hemodialysis is a procedure that cleans and filters your blood. It rids your body of harmful wastes and extra salt and fluids. It also controls blood pressure and helps your body keep the proper balance of chemicals such as potassium, sodium, and chloride. Hemodialysis uses a dialyzer, or special filter, to clean your blood. The dialyzer connects to a machine.

During treatment, your blood travels through tubes into the dialyzer. The dialyzer filters out wastes and extra fluids. Peritoneal dialysis is another technique that replaces the work of your kidneys. It removes extra water, wastes, and chemicals from your body. This type of dialysis uses the lining of your abdomen to filter your blood. There are three types of peritoneal dialysis. CAPD is the most common type of peritoneal dialysis. It needs no machine. It can be done in any clean, well-lit place. CCPD is like CAPD except that a machine, which connects to your catheter, automatically fills and drains the dialysate from your abdomen. IPD uses the same type of machine as CCPD to add and drain the dialysate. Kidney transplantation is a procedure that places a healthy kidney from another person.

Kidney Failure Treatment and Prevention Tips

1. Do not drink alcohol or use illegal.

2. Do not smoke or use other tobacco products.

3. A low-protein diet may help prevent the progression of kidney failure

4. Immunosuppressive drugs is very helpful but,require very careful monitoring.

5. Avoid taking medicines that can damage your kidneys, like ibuprofen and naproxen.

6. ACE Inhibitors / ARB’s medications have been shown to have some benefit for the kidneys.

7. When the kidneys can no longer remove enough toxins and extra fluid to keep your alive, you need dialysis.

8. Exercise may help you control diabetes and high blood pressure, which can lead to kidney disease.

Melvin