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High Blood Pressure and Kidney Disease: How Are They Connected?
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Identifying Kidney Failure
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Chronic kidney failure occurs when disease or dis- order damages the kidneys so that they can no longer adequately remove fluids and wastes from the body or maintain proper levels of kidney-regulated chemicals in the bloodstream.
Chronic kidney failure, also known as chronic renal failure, affects over 250,000 Americans annually. It may be caused by a number of diseases and inherited disorders, but the progression (end result) of chronic kidney failure is always the same. The kidneys, which serve as the body's natural filtration system, gradually lose their ability to remove fluids and waste products (urea) from the bloodstream. They also fail to regulate certain chemicals in the bloodstream and allow protein to leak into the urine. Chronic kidney failure is irreversible and eventually leads to total kidney failure, known as end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Without treatment and intervention to remove wastes and fluids from the bloodstream, ESRD is inevitably fatal.
Kidney failure is caused by acquired disease or hereditary disorders in the kidneys. The four most common causes of chronic kidney failure include:
Less common causes of chronic kidney failure include kidney cancer, obstructions such as kidney stones, pyelonephritis, reflux nephropathy, systemic lupus erythematosus, amyloidosis, sickle cell anemia, Alport syndrome, and oxalosis.
Initially, symptoms of chronic kidney failure develop slowly. Even individuals with mild to moderate kidney failure may have few symptoms in spite of increased urea in their blood. Among signs and symptoms that may be present at this point are frequent urination during the night and high blood pressure.
Most symptoms of chronic kidney failure are not apparent until kidney disease has progressed significant- ly. Common symptoms include:
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Author Info: Barbara Wexler, The Gale Group Inc., Gale, Detroit, Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health, 2002 |