Saturday 30 April 2011

Kidney disease treatment options


The treatment method used for a patient with kidney disease depends on the type of kidney disease he has and its severity. Dialysis and kidney transplants are two treatment options. These are serious treatments used when a person loses 10% or more of his kidney function. There are also other less serious treatment options for kidney disease.  
Preventing kidney disease is the best treatment. If you eat right, practice safe sex, and have good hygiene habits, you can avoid kidney disease in some cases. If you already have kidney disease, these won't help.
Changing your diet is one of the treatments for kidney disease. If your kidney is not functioning, your body tends to retain more protein so you will need to avoid eating too much protein so your kidneys don't have to work as hard. You can also drink less fluids because that will help your kidney have less work to do as far as regulating fluid levels in your body goes. If you have a kidney infection, though, fluids are needed to flush the infection out.
Antibiotics are another of the treatment options used to treat upper urinary tract infections that are in danger of affecting the kidneys. If you aren't seeing the infection go away with fluids and time, you may need to take something like Levaquin or Maacrodantin.
Treating any underlying illnesses is helpful as well. Often renal insufficiency, a milder form of kidney disease, is caused by conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure. These illnesses can endanger the health of your kidneys.
Treating diabetes can include changing the way you eat as well as taking insulin regularly.
You can keep your blood pressure controlled with medication like ACEs and ARBs. ACE counteracts the enzymes that constrict the blood flow in blood vessels which is a cause of high blood pressure. ARB counteracts another chemical in the body that increases your blood pressure. When you regulate your blood pressure, you are less likely to have problems with kidney disease because the kidneys will be under less pressure.
The future holds great things for kidney disease treatments. There are new compounds like CFTR inhibitors that are thought to help treat Polycystic Kidney Disease, which is a common form of the illness. UCLA is also experimenting with artificial kidneys that are worn outside the body and can help patients avoid dialysis. Kidney treatments are only going to get better.
As time goes on, hopefully kidney disease will go the way of polio and influenza and become a disease that no longer is fatal to millions of people around the world.

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