The kidneys are a vital organ because they remove waste products from the blood. Impairment leads to buildup of these waste products. If impairment continues unchecked, it leads to kidney failure and death. According to the National Kidney Foundation, eighteen people die every day because new kidneys are not available..
If a patient begins to show symptoms of kidney disease, such as protein or blood in their urine, it is critical to determine what is causing it so that impaired kidney function can be prevented or slowed down. While diseases such as diabetes are easily diagnosed, other causes require an elaborate work-up, including ultrasound and biopsy.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a leading cause of impaired kidney function and kidney failure. This impairment is progressive and can result in renal failure. While the precise mechanism by which diabetes causes impaired kidney function is unknown, according to the U.S. Renal Data System, nearly 44 percent of all new cases of kidney failure were caused by diabetes. While fewer than 10 percent of diabetics have kidney function so impaired that renal failure occurs, many have impaired function.
Hypertension
High blood pressure or hypertension slowly and persistently wears away at kidney function unless it is controlled.
The association between hypertension and impaired kidney function lies in the vascular nature of most kidney tissue. For example, the fragile filters called glomeruli are nothing more than tiny nests of capillaries. These are destroyed when the pressure from blood coursing through them is too high.
While most people with moderate hypertension will not experience seriously impaired renal function, the association between hypertension and impaired kidney function is significant. The U.S. Renal Data System shows that 26.8 percent of renal failure was caused by hypertension in 2007.
Glomerular Disease
Glomeruli disease refers to a number of diseases, often immunological in nature, that affect the glomeruli. These diseases include IgA nephropathy, FSGS, IgM nephropathy, membranous nephropathy and MPGN, among others. All of these diseases are progressive, chronic conditions that result in impaired function, and occasionally renal failure. The US Renal Data System reports that glomerular disease accounts for 7.6 percent of kidney failure.
Congenital Diseases
Impaired kidney function can result from a congenital urological or renal defect that is apparent either before or immediately after birth. In many instances, these diseases are often genetic. Congenital diseases include hydronephrosis, renal dysplasia, some forms of polycystic kidney disease and others.
