What is renal insufficiency
Release time : 01/18/2025 18:13:27
Chronic kidney disease is a common disease in the elderly population. With age, the renal function of the elderly gradually deteriorates, and their immune resistance and physique are also decreasing. If not treated in time, it can even threaten their life.
Additionally, uremia-related symptoms are increasingly common in young people.
Appropriate understanding of renal insufficiency is beneficial for both treatment and prevention.
What is renal insufficiency? With the gradual youthification of the population with renal insufficiency, numerous television and advertisements have begun to promote products as "kidney-strengthening" and "kidney-fortifying."
Before selecting products or seeking treatment for diseases, it is essential to understand the underlying cause for effective treatment. What exactly causes kidney failure? Many patients tend to neglect finding the cause due to their urgent need for treatment, which results in suboptimal treatment outcomes.
A professional physician has stated that renal insufficiency can be caused by a variety of factors, but the general pathogenesis is due to severe damage to the glomerulus, leading to disorders in the body's ability to excrete metabolic wastes and regulate water electrolytes and acid-base balance.
Experts have categorized the causes of renal insufficiency into two main factors: 1. Kidney diseases: This encompasses acute and chronic glomerulonephritis, pyelonephritis, tuberculosis, acute tubular necrosis due to chemical and biological toxicants, kidney tumors, congenital kidney disorders, etc.
2. Extrarenal Diseases: Conditions such as systemic circulation disorders (shock, pulmonary failure, hypertension), general metabolic disorders (such as diabetes), and urinary tract diseases (urinary calculi, tumor compression) etc.
To better observe and understand the symptoms of renal failure, medically it is mainly divided into four stages: (1) The stage of renal reserve compensation. At this stage, although renal function has declined, its ability to excrete metabolic waste products and regulate water and electrolyte balance can still meet the normal needs of the human body, and renal function tests are also within the normal range or only slightly elevated, with no obvious clinical symptoms at this stage.
(2) Renal Insufficiency Stage: During this stage, glomerular damage can reach 60%-75%. The kidney has certain impediments in the elimination of metabolic waste, and serum creatinine and urea nitrogen may be elevated or exceed normal levels.
Patients may exhibit symptoms of anemia, fatigue, weight loss, and difficulty concentrating.
(3) Renal Failure Stage: At this stage, the renal glomerular damage can have reached 7.5%-95%, and the kidneys are no longer capable of maintaining the body's internal environment stability. Patients experience increased fatigue, weakness, decreased concentration, and symptoms such as anemia, frequent nocturnal urination, significant increases in serum creatinine and urea nitrogen levels, and often present with acidosis.
(4) During the uremia stage or end-stage renal disease, glomerular damage exceeds 95%, and there are severe clinical symptoms such as severe nausea and vomiting, oliguria, edema, hypertension of malignancy, severe anemia, pruritus, and a strong urine odor.
Nephropathy is also a complex and difficult disease at present, which not only brings harm to the body but also brings a heavy burden on the psychological state of patients.
Renal insufficiency is caused by a variety of factors, and when it reaches its severe stage, it can threaten people's lives. Therefore, understanding some symptoms of renal insufficiency is very beneficial for better detection and treatment of the disease.
The symptoms of renal failure clinically mainly manifest as: 1. Gastrointestinal symptoms: These are the earliest and most common symptoms in uremia.
Initially, symptoms include anorexia and abdominal discomfort. Subsequently, patients may experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, glossitis, a foul odor in the mouth, oral mucosal ulceration, and even gastrointestinal bleeding.
2. Psychiatric and neurological manifestations: Lethargy, fatigue, dizziness, headaches, memory decline, insomnia, occasional numbness in the limbs, burning pain in the hands and feet, and pruritus of the skin, with severe itching in the lower limbs that is intolerable.
In advanced renal failure, symptoms may include drowsiness, irritability, delirium, muscle tremors, even convulsions and seizures.
3. Cardiovascular System Manifestations: Hypertension is often observed, and long-term hypertension can lead to left ventricular hypertrophy and enlargement, myocardial damage, heart failure, and toxic substances that accumulate can cause myocardial damage, resulting in uremia-induced pericarditis.
4. Hematopoietic System Manifestations: Renal insufficiency leads to uremia, and anemia is a common symptom in patients with uremia.
Aside from anemia, there is also a tendency to have bleeding problems such as petechiae, nosebleeds, gum bleeding, and melena.
5. Respiratory System Manifestations: In cases of renal insufficiency and acidosis, the respiration is deep and prolonged.
Retention of metabolites can lead to uremia-induced bronchitis, pneumonia, and thoracic inflammation with corresponding clinical symptoms and signs.
6. Other manifestations: The skin loses its luster, is prone to dryness and scaling, with a noticeable decrease in weight.
In recent years, kidney failure has become a major issue, expanding from the male population to affect women as well. Numerous female male friends are seeking medical advice and treatments for kidney failure.
As the saying goes, "All medicines have side effects," and if we can treat renal failure through dietary therapy, that would be even better.
Medical experts suggest that in the diet of renal failure, one can consume the following foods to prevent and treat early kidney disease. 1. Eat more high-quality protein foods. Although protein breakdown produces toxic metabolic substances, protein is an essential nutrient for the body.
This requires that patients with renal insufficiency should try to choose high-quality proteins, such as lean meat, eggs, and fish. However, it is important to note that patients with renal insufficiency should consume fewer legumes and other plant proteins.
2. Consume more caloric foods, in order to ensure the body's energy needs, patients with renal insufficiency need to eat high-calorie food, which can mainly be obtained from carbohydrates, such as rice, bread, etc.
The amount of caloric intake should be no less than 30 calories per kilogram body weight.
If the patient weighs 50 kilograms, then the daily caloric intake required is at least 1500 kcal.
3. Supplementation of vitamins is recommended for patients with renal insufficiency, as vegetables such as greens and broccoli can provide the necessary vitamins required by the body. Vitamin supplements can also be taken under a doctor's supervision.
4. It is important to avoid excessive salt intake, as patients with renal insufficiency have diminished sodium reserve capacity and also experience a loss of salt through their urine. Therefore, it is not necessary to restrict salt consumption as severely as it is for patients with chronic or acute nephritis.
However, patients with renal insufficiency should also avoid excessive sodium intake, especially those with symptoms of oliguria and edema. Diet should primarily be light.
Additionally, I would like to recommend several kidney-nourishing diet recipes: (1) Pork Thigh and Walnut Kidney Supplement Soup: one pork tallow, 10 walnut kernels, and 6 hulled acacia seeds.
To be taken in two servings at night.
(2) Sea Cucumber Stew with Duck: 200g of sea cucumber, one old duck.
Remove the feathers and impurities from the duck, wash it thoroughly, and cook it with sea cucumber in a slow-cooked manner. When the duck meat is cooked, add salt, monosodium glutamate, chopped green onions, and minced ginger to taste.
(3) Cistanche and Sheep Kidney Soup: 30g of Cistanche, 2 sheep kidneys.
Cut the sheep kidney open, clean it, remove the white connective tissue, and cook with Cistanche with water. Serve with salt.
(4) Celery and Egg Custard: Clean 300 grams of celery, cut into segments, put in the pot to cook with water for a while, add a little flour and 1 cup thick soup, then add one egg white, best hot drink.
(5) Eat more foods such as walnuts, mutton, perch fish, sea cucumber, black fungus, black beans, leeks, Chinese yam, and mulberry.
Can renal failure be cured? Although the treatment of renal failure is complex and difficult to cure, if the correct method is used for treatment, it can also achieve effective treatment results and gradually help patients recover their health.
Methods for treating renal failure are available for reference.
1. General treatment should aim to identify the cause of acute renal failure as promptly as possible and take measures to eliminate it, such as relieving urinary tract obstruction, eliminating nephrotoxins, and treating nephritis.
In the compensated stage of renal insufficiency, it is imperative to actively treat the primary disease to prevent its progression to uremia.
In Stage of nitrogenous anemia, besides treating the disease, it is necessary to relieve work, avoid exposure to cold and dampness and overwork, prevent colds, and not use drugs that damage the kidneys.
Individuals presenting with symptoms of uremia should rest and receive treatment.
2. Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy: A therapy for kidney disease in Traditional Chinese Medicine is the Cloud Fire Active Kidney Therapy, which can effectively repair renal insufficiency and uremia and help restore the glomerulus, preventing further damage to the glomerulus. It also enables patients to regulate the excretion of metabolic waste, balance electrolytes and pH, etc., through good regulation and repair of these functions.
3. To correct metabolic acidosis, mild metabolic acidosis can be improved by correcting the imbalance of water and electrolyte balance, and potassium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃) may also be added, with a daily dosage of 4 to 8 grams, divided into two to four doses orally.
During the polyuria phase, attention should be paid to hydration and electrolyte balance, including potassium and sodium, to prevent dehydration, hypokalemia, and hyponatremia.
4. Diet therapy should have a reasonable protein intake.
The metabolic products in the human body are mainly derived from the protein components in the diet, therefore, in order to reduce the workload of the kidneys, the intake of protein must be adapted to the ability of the kidneys to excrete.
*The medical information provided in this article is for reference only.
In case of discomfort, it is advised to seek medical attention immediately for accurate diagnosis and treatment.