According to the National Kidney Foundation, chronic kidney disease affects 26 million Americans. Chronic kidney disease, synonymous with chronic kidney failure or chronic renal insufficiency, describes a gradual and long-standing loss of kidney function. Amongst other important functions, the kidneys filter the body's fluids and remove wastes to be excreted in the urine. When kidney function diminishes, toxins accumulate in the body. Symptoms may be minimal at first, but as the condition progresses, people may experience urinary difficulties, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue, decreased mental acuity, weakness, muscle twitches and cramps, itching and swelling. Chronic kidney failure has many underlying causes.
Diabetes
Diabetes is the most common cause of chronic kidney disease in the United States, according to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, a division of the National Institutes of Health. Diabetes is characterized by a consistently high level of blood sugar. When glucose--the sugar in the blood--circulates continuously instead of properly breaking down, it damages many of the body's organs, including the kidneys, as well as the heart, blood vessels, nerves and eyes.
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure, medically called hypertension, is the second-most common cause of chronic renal failure. When blood pressure is consistently elevated, blood vessels throughout the body are damaged. The kidneys contain many small blood vessels that participate in the blood filtering process. In hypertension, these blood vessels are damaged and the system breaks down, leaving the body unable to filter wastes. In addition, the kidneys are responsible for regulating blood pressure, and kidney damage disrupts this function. So not only can high blood pressure cause kidney disease, but kidney failure can conversely lead to hypertension.
Glomerulopathies
The National Kidney Foundation states that glomerulonephritis is the third most common cause of kidney disease. Glomerulonephritis is a condition where the kidney's filtering units become inflamed and damaged. This glomerular impairment may occur on its own for unknown reasons, or it may be secondary to another bodily disease, such as amyloidosis, diabetes or lupus.
Inherited Diseases
Certain inherited disease may result on chronic kidney failure. One example is polycystic kidney disease, where large cysts form in the kidneys and damage the surrounding tissue. Polycystic kidney disease is the most common cause of chronic renal failure in European countries, although diabetes type 2 is catching up, according to Drs. Deborah Cohen, Martin Goldberg, Ankush Gulati and Fred Ferri, medical doctors and contributors to MD Consult's "Chronic Kidney Disease." Other inherited disorders include hereditary nephritis, or Alport's syndrome, medullary cystic disease and nail-patella syndrome.
Urinary Tract Obstructions
Urinary tract obstructions can cause kidney damage. This is where some substance or structure impedes the natural flow of fluids through the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. Examples include kidney stones, tumors and anatomical abnormality, as well as an enlarged prostate in men.
References
- National Kidney Foundation: Chronic Kidney Disease
- Merck Manual Professional: Chronic Kidney Disease (Renal Failure)
- MayoClinic.com: Chronic Kidney Failure
- MD Consult; Chronic Kidney Disease; Deborah Cohen, M.D. et. al.; 2010
- National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Kidney Disease of Diabetes
