The kidneys normally function by pulling excess acid from the blood and eliminating it from the body through urination. Distal renal tubular acidosis, also known as Type I RTA, is a disease that occurs when the kidney's tubes fail and do not allow for the removal of excess acid from the blood, leaving the blood too acidic. The National Institutes of Health warns that symptoms of distal tubular acidosis include confusion, fatigue, kidney stones, rickets, impaired growth and increased respirations. Many conditions can cause distal renal tubular acidosis.
Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle cell disease affects approximately 72,000 people in the United States and is present in one out of every 500 African-American births, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Sickle cell disease is a genetic condition that causes normally smooth and round hemoglobin cells to become crescent, or sickle, shaped. The shape causes the cells to cluster together instead of passing easily thorough the blood vessels. The clusters cause blockages and stop the blood from carrying oxygen to the tissues and organs. Sickle cells also have a short life span, dying after just 10 to 20 days whereas normal hemoglobin cells can survive for up to 120 days. This often results in a lack of red blood cells, which causes anemia.
Symptoms of sickle cell disease include anemia and severe pain where the cells cluster. Blockages may cause stroke, jaundice, leg ulcers, bone damage, damage to the kidneys, eye damage and gall stones. Blockage of the kidney tubules can often result in distal renal tubular acidosis. Patients often take medications to prevent infections and pain. Patients may also receive blood transfusions for anemia as well as bone marrow transplants to attempt to cure the patient of the disease.
Amyloidosis
Amyloidosis is a rare disease that occurs when bone marrow cells create abnormal proteins known as amyloid that the body can deposit into the organs and tissues. Amyloidosis can affect any organ and it affects different organs in different people. Common locations for amyloid deposits are the kidneys, liver, heart, spleen, nervous system and gastrointestinal tract. When amyloidosis affects the kidneys this may lead to damage of the tubules, causing distal renal tubular acidosis.
Symptoms of amyloidosis include weakness, shortness of breath, weight loss, diarrhea or constipation, feeling full quickly, swelling in the legs and feet, severe fatigue, difficulty swallowing, enlarged tongue and irregular heartbeat. There is no cure for amyloidosis but MayoClinic.com explains that patients with amyloidosis commonly use corticosteroids to control inflammation as well as chemotherapy medications such as melphalan. In some cases, physicians may recommend a blood stem cell transplant to replace damaged or diseased bone marrow.
Wilson's Disease
Wilson's disease, also known as hepatolenticular degeneration, is a genetic disorder that causes an accumulation of copper in the liver, kidneys and other vital organs. Copper is important to the body, helping create healthy bones, nerves and collagen as well as melanin, which gives skin its pigmentation. Copper is normally absorbed through foods or supplements and excreted through bile created in the liver, according to MayoClinic.com.
Symptoms of Wilson's disease vary dependent upon where the copper accumulates but can include clumsiness, difficulty speaking, difficulty swallowing, drooling, easy bruising, fatigue, involuntary shaking, joint pain, loss of appetite and depression. When a person has Wilson's disease an accumulation of copper in the kidneys can often result in distal renal tubular necrosis. Medications to treat Wilson's disease often involve chelating agents, which remove excess copper from the organs into the bloodstream to be filtered out of the body by urine.
