Causes of kidney disease that you need to pay attention to

Causes of kidney disease

Kidney disease is a condition when the kidneys are affected and is a serious health problem. The reason is, untreated kidney disorders can lead to total kidney failure. As a result, people with kidney disease need dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive.

Meanwhile, there are many and quite effective treatments for kidney disease. However, many people do not realize that kidney disorders can be prevented.

Here are some of the main causes of kidney disease based on the type that might help you reduce your risk of this disease.

1. Changes in glucose and blood pressure

One of the common causes of kidney disease is the damage caused by drastically increasing blood sugar levels.

This condition is common in people with diabetes. The reason is, when glucose levels in the body are too high, damage to organs in the body cannot be avoided, including the kidneys.

Then, the damaged kidney vessels cause the kidneys to not clean the blood properly. As a result, the kidneys contain too much of this toxic waste causing kidney failure.

Meanwhile, high blood pressure, aka hypertension, is also the cause of kidney damage. This is because when blood pressure is not properly controlled, blood vessels are damaged. Blood flow to the nephrons in the kidneys is also limited.

When this happens, the kidneys are no longer able to filter blood and regulate fluids, hormones, acids and salts in the body. Therefore, people with diabetes or hypertension are more at risk of developing kidney disease because they both cause kidney damage.

2. Use of certain drugs

Apart from drastic changes in blood pressure and glucose, another cause of kidney disease is the use of certain drugs. The use of drugs such as anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), blood pressure controllers, and antibiotics can actually cause acute kidney injury.

NSAID drugs dilates blood vessels, but reduces blood flow to the kidneys.
ACE Inhibitor Drugs hinder kidney function by decreasing blood flow to the kidneys.
Antibiotics certain damage to kidney cells by breaking down the membrane that surrounds them.

Therefore, most doctors now recommend their patients to run blood tests. This aims to determine kidney function and drug levels in the blood on a regular basis.

3. The abnormal gene

Did you know that a family history of disease can actually be the cause of kidney disease? There is one type of kidney disease caused by an abnormal gene, namely polycystic kidney.

Meanwhile, this disease rarely occurs outside of family members, aka gene mutations do not occur.

4. Follow a certain diet

For those of you who want to go on a certain diet it may be best to consult a doctor. The reason is, wrong eating patterns can actually be the reason why kidney disease occurs.

One diet that can trigger kidney disease is a diet high in protein. Excessive protein intake can cause urea acid type kidney stones and cause calcium to be in the urine and aciuria (acidic urine).

This condition turns out to change the pH to be too acidic and when allowed to form kidney stones.

In fact, eating too much protein food is said to cause kidney ischemia, which is when the kidney organs become blocked. As a result, the kidneys do not get enough oxygen and food which results in the tissue in the kidney to die.

5. Drinking excessive alcohol

It is common knowledge that drinking too much alcohol can cause problems, including kidney disease.

The kidneys function to filter harmful substances from the blood. One of the harmful substances that the kidneys filter out is alcohol. Drinking too much alcohol can cause changes in kidney function and make the kidneys perform less because they are less able to filter blood.

Apart from filtering the blood, the kidneys also maintain the proper amount of water in your body. Alcohol affects the kidneys' ability to detoxify toxins because alcohol causes dehydration.

This dehydrating effect can affect the normal function of cells and organs, including the kidneys. Drinking 3-4 glasses of alcohol a day increases your chances of developing chronic kidney disease.

Therefore, drinking too much alcohol can be the reason why you experience kidney disease.

6. Congenital abnormalities

Reporting from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, congenital abnormalities can be the cause of kidney disease because of birth defects that affect the shape and function of the kidneys. Normally, babies are born with two kidneys which play a role in filtering waste and excess fluid from the blood.

However, congenital disorders such as missing or filled cysts can cause kidney disease such as glomerulonephritis and polycystic kidney.

So far it is still not known what causes congenital abnormalities in the kidneys, but it is likely that a family history of kidney disease increases this risk.

7. The kidneys are overworked

The kidneys work to filter blood and remove waste through urine. However, when the kidneys work too hard it can cause serious problems. How can?

One of the reasons why the kidneys work too hard and cause pain is marathon sports. There's nothing wrong with running a marathon. The problem lies precisely when your body is not ready for physical activity.

When you exercise, especially running, all of the blood flow that contains oxygen and food materials is maximized to the body that needs it, such as the muscles of the body.

Then, blood flow to the kidneys will decrease by almost 25 percent, but depending on the intensity and frequency of exercise.

The heavier the exercise, the less blood flow to the kidneys. As a result, this condition is one of the causes of kidney disease after exercise. On the other hand, excessive exercise can also make the body lose fluids and other minerals faster.

Risk factors for kidney disease

Some of the causes of kidney disease that have been mentioned can actually be prevented through a healthy lifestyle and paying more attention to your own body condition. However, there are also several factors that make your risk of kidney disease higher in the following categories: