Currently around 850 million people in the world suffer from some type of kidney disease. “The kidney is often a silent traitor, so on many occasions the patient does not realize that it is stopping working,” explains Dr. María José Soler, from the Nephrology service at the Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona and member of the board of directors of the Spanish Society of Nephrology. Dr. Soler points out that there are two types of kidney failure, acute and chronic. “Acute kidney failure consists of an alteration in kidney function lasting less than three months, requiring targeted treatment and avoiding drugs toxic to the kidney such as anti-inflammatories and aminoglycosides,” she explains. Chronic kidney failure, for its part, appears “when an alteration of more than three months occurs in the function of the kidney and, therefore, it is already irreversible, so the treatment must be focused on preventing it from progressing, which which is achieved through medication and changes in diet and lifestyle.”
The doctor explains that the function of the kidney is to “eliminate toxic substances from the body, so if they are not eliminated they accumulate. This causes many people to need a machine that artificially performs kidney function: dialysis.” The expert also remembers that kidney pathology is complex, since it can affect other organs. Currently, the patient admitted to a Nephrology service is the one with the greatest complexity and points out that “according to research, in 2040 chronic kidney disease will be the fifth cause of mortality in the world.”
The main risk factor for kidney failure is diabetes and some of the symptoms, often mild, that can indicate that we are facing a kidney pathology are fatigue, irritability and swelling, among others. “Fatigue occurs because the kidney intervenes in the synthesis of erythropoietin and its deficiency produces anemia,” explains Soler. Erythropoietin is a hormone produced by the kidneys and whose deficiency causes the bone marrow to not produce enough red blood cells. In turn, chronic kidney failure produces an alteration of mineral metabolism: vitamin D, phosphorus and calcium.
“Quitting smoking, doing regular physical exercise, resting well, hydrating correctly and eating a healthy and balanced diet are fundamental steps for good kidney health,” explains Soler, who also recommends avoiding the abuse of certain drugs such as anti-inflammatories. “They are not recommended if we have kidney failure, and we should not abuse them and consume them without rhyme or reason if we are healthy,” continues the doctor. It is also important to be very careful with the consumption of all these foods, which can affect our kidney health.
