Kidney is one of the most important organs of the body. It filters out the body’s waste through urine. Without a properly functioning kidney, you cannot survive. There are several diseases that might damage your kidney.
These kidney diseases have been categorized under acute and chronic kidney diseases. Some of these diseases turn severe over time and might eventually lead to failure of the kidney.
Acute kidney diseases:
Acute Kidney Disease(AKD) or Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) is when your kidneys suddenly stop working properly, it can range from minor loss of kidney function to complete kidney failure in the long run.
Mostly seen in older people, the common cause of such diseases could be related to patients simultaneously suffering from other medical conditions.
Early detection will save you from the condition turning fatal in the future. In case of not receiving early treatment, the condition might lead to the accumulation of abnormal levels of salts and minerals in the body, which could be detrimental to your health.
Chronic kidney diseases:
Chronic Kidney Disease(CKD) is when lasting damage to your kidneys causes them to lose their ability to filter waste and fluid out of your blood and this leads to your kidneys completely stop working, this condition is called kidney failure or end-stage renal disease.
Chronic kidney disease is a health condition wherein kidney disease leads to permanent kidney damage.
Common types of kidney diseases:
• Fabry disease: this is a genetically transferred disease that passes on from one generation to another. It affects different body organs like the heart, brain, and kidneys and could lead to chronic kidney failure in the long term.
• Cystinosis: it is the accumulation of excess amino acid cystine in the body, which leads to several health problems. Kidney damage from cystinosis often leads to kidney failure. People suffering from cystinosis may be prescribed medications and in rare cases might need to go for a kidney transplant. It is a genetic disorder and might preferably occur in younger children.
• Glomerulonephritis: Glomerulonephritis occurs when the glomeruli, which are the small filtering units present in your kidney, that clean your blood, get damaged and are unable to remove fluid and waste from your blood. This can eventually lead to renal failure.
• Lupus Nephritis: The autoimmune illness lupus nephritis damages your kidneys and causes pain, swelling, and other symptoms throughout your entire body by causing your immune system to attack its own tissues. Although lupus nephritis has no known cause and is often incurable, many lupus sufferers can reduce their symptoms and avoid catastrophic kidney damage with appropriate medical therapy.
• Polycystic Kidney Disease Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) is an inherited disorder, that causes clusters of cysts* to form mostly inside the kidneys, which over time causes the kidneys to expand and become less functional.
*Cysts are spherical, liquid-filled, non-cancerous sacs.
Other Rare kidney diseases:
The ability of your kidneys to filter waste from the body may be hampered by a number of different rare disorders. These conditions can harm the kidneys, resulting in chronic renal disorders, and eventually cause kidney failure.