End Stage Renal Disease - Chronic Kidney Disease
- By Kyle Knight
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- 20 Mar, 2019
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ESRD - CKD
What Is End Stage Renal Disease? Chronic Kidney Disease?
End stage renal disease (ESRD) is the last stage (stage five) of chronic kidney disease (CKD). This means kidneys are only functioning at 10 to 15 percent of their normal capacity. Kidneysare important organs that contribute to your overall well-being. When kidney function is this low, they cannot effectively remove waste or excess fluid from your blood. Kidneys are also responsible for other functions that support the body, such as balancing electrolytes and producing certain hormones. When chronic kidney disease develops into ESRD, dialysis or a kidney transplant is necessary to stay alive.
Urine production
Fully functioning kidneys clean the blood of wastes and excess fluid. These items are eliminated through urine. Because kidneys with ESRD do a very poor job of removing these items, waste and fluid build up in the body to unhealthy levels. Accumulated waste in the bloodstream can make you feel sick. This is a condition called uremia. When fluid is not removed from the body, tissues will swell and lead to a condition called edema. Excess fluid in the bloodstream can also increase blood pressure.
Electrolytes
Electrolytes are minerals and salts such as magnesium, sodium and potassium. They are found in foods you eat and are essential to good health. However, too much or too little of these electrolytes can make you sick. Healthy kidneys make sure these levels are balanced. But kidneys affected with ESRD cannot regulate the levels of electrolytes. When this happens, changes in your body’s functions occur. Sodium can cause tissues to retain water. Excess potassium can cause an abnormal heart rhythm, which may lead to cardiac arrest. Too little magnesium can affect your heartbeat and cause changes in your mental state; too much can leave you feeling weak.
Hormones
Healthy kidneys make certain hormones. One is a parathyroid hormone (PTH) that activates vitamin D into a substance called calcitriol. Calcitriol helps your body absorb calcium. If your body cannot absorb calcium, your bones become weak and may break. Another hormone your kidneys manufacture is erythropoietin. Erythropoietin tells your body to make red blood cells, which carry oxygen to the cells throughout your body. If your red blood cell count is low, you may develop anemia, which will leave you feeling weak and fatigued.
Enzymes
Renin is an enzyme kidneys produce. Renin helps the body regulate sodium and potassium levels in the blood, as well as help regulate blood pressure. When blood pressure drops, renin is released and starts a chemical reaction in the body that will produce a substance called angiotensin. Angiotensin causes your blood vessels to narrow, or constrict. This helps raise blood pressure. Angiotensin also signals the adrenal glands (found at the top of your kidneys) to release a hormone called aldosterone. Aldosterone tells the kidneys to retain salt (sodium) and excrete potassium. By retaining salt, the body keeps more water in the system. This water raises the blood volume and blood pressure. Kidneys affected by ESRD sometimes make too much renin, which keeps blood pressure levels high. This kind of high blood pressure can be difficult to treat.
Regular dialysis treatment, following your renal diet and taking prescribed medications can go a long way in managing ESRD. If you have been diagnosed with end stage renal disease, it is important to follow your health care team’s advices regarding treatment.
Need Help Getting with ESRD?
Contact Primary Care Offices. They can help you identify the problem and get the help you need.
Also keep in mind that at Primary Care Offices, we have doctors who accept Medicare and Medicaid on staff, as well as others who are on the list of Humana healthcare providers.
Contact Primary Care Offices for a same day doctor’s appointment at one of our conveniently located. Give us a call at 954-450-9595, chat online, or visit our patient portal on our home page to get a comprehensive health exam.
SUPPLEMENTS could be used to prevent high blood pressure symptoms and signs. You could lower your risk of hypertension by regularly adding these cheap capsules to your daily diet. Could you be at risk of high blood pressure?
High blood pressure is a common condition that affects more
than 25 per cent of all adults in the US. The condition, which is also known as
hypertension, could be caused by eating an unhealthy diet, or by not doing
enough exercise. Diagnosing the condition early is vital, as it raises the risk
of some deadly complications, including heart attacks and strokes. But you
could lower your chances of high blood pressure by regularly taking magnesium
supplements, it’s been claimed.
Magnesium helps to regulate your blood pressure bye relaxing blood vessels, revealed Harvard Medical School.
Not getting enough magnesium in your diet could lead to constricted blood vessels, and therefore high blood pressure.
For the best anti-hypertensive effects, choose a magnesium l-threonate supplement to top up on magnesium, added Dr Joseph Mercola.
“Along with an active lifestyle and healthy dietary habits, supplements may help reduce your high blood pressure levels safely and naturally,” said the physician.
“Magnesium deficiency due to insulin resistance is one of the causes behind constricted blood vessels, which in turn leads to hypertension.
To help your blood vessels relax and dilate, you should maintain optimum magnesium levels.
“If you're planning to take a magnesium supplement, go for magnesium l-threonate, since it's formulated for maximum absorption and it doesn't have laxative properties.
“Before you take any supplements, make sure that you consult your physician first to determine the proper dosage for your needs, or to check if these supplements are suitable for your condition in the first place.”
But you should be able to top up on magnesium from your diet, without needing a supplement, said Harvard Medical School.
The best sources of magnesium include dark leafy vegetables, unrefined grains, and legumes.
Taking too much magnesium from a supplement could lead to diarrhea, but there aren’t any known side effects of eating too much magnesium.
You could also lower your blood pressure by making sure you eat a healthy, balanced diet, and by doing regular exercise.
Everyone should aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity every week.
High blood pressure is often known as ‘the silent killer’, because you may not even know you have it.
Hypertension symptoms only tend to reveal themselves if you have extremely high blood pressure.
Common high blood pressure symptoms include severe headaches, having a pounding in the chest, and finding blood in your urine.
Need Advice on Hypertension and High Blood Pressure?
Are you experiencing high blood pressure? You should talk with your doctor about how you can improve you health, and Primary Care Offices have the knowledge to help. Contact Primary Care Offices for a same day doctor’s appointment at one of our conveniently located offices all over South Florida. Give us a call at 954-450-9595 , chat online , or visit our patient portal on our homepage to get you feeling better in no time.
