KIDNEY DISORDERS KNOWLEDGE

 

Kidney Disorder Knowledge:

The goal of KDK is to provide detailed knowledge about Kidney Disorders with availability of high quality protein structures and their sequences.

is a specialized database of the kidney disorders found in the Homo Sapiens (Humans). This website contains all the detailed information about them including their types, symptoms, causes and treatments. You would also find kidney functions and structures of the proteins that cause these disorders. FASTA files for the protein sequences can also be accessed through this database.

Kidneys remove wastes and extra fluid from the body. They also remove acid that is produced by the cells of the body and maintain a healthy balance of water, salts, and minerals in the blood. Their imbalance can cause disorders of kidney which can be treated.

This website will help you to find out more about the disorders and provide you with knowledge to spread out further. 

You have two kidneys, each about the size of your fist. They are near the middle of your back, just below the rib cage. Inside each kidney, there are about a million tiny structures called nephrons. They filter your blood. They remove wastes and extra water, which become urine. The urine flows through tubes called ureters. It goes to your bladder, which stores the urine until you go to the bathroom.

Your kidneys are extremely important, so it’s crucial that you learn as much information on them as you can. Your body is yours to live with and take care of, so knowing how it operates helps you stay on track to living a healthy life. With your kidneys, think of them as a filter. Your kidneys filter all the toxins that come or form in your body and remove the toxins through urination or bowel movements. As important as your kidneys are, they, just like any other part of your body, can be subjected to failure and disease if you aren’t being mindful of how you’re treating them. Yes, some things are inevitable when it comes to sickness and disease but you can also contribute to your body experiencing sickness as well. Let’s learn more. 
You’ve probably heard of this medical condition before, but what do you really know about kidney disease? Do you know what it is? Chronic kidney disease, also known as kidney failure is when your kidney(s) no longer functions properly. What this means is that the kidney(s) no longer filter waste and extra fluid from your blood.
Your body now has excess waste and fluid in the bloodstream. Kidney failure can lead to complications all over your body. It can lead to weak bones and an increased risk of fractures, anemia, hyperkalemia (extreme increase in potassium in your blood), decrease in sex drive, damage to your nervous system, and more. 

Most kidney diseases attack the nephrons. This damage may leave kidneys unable to remove waste. Causes can include genetic problems, injuries, or medicines. You have a higher risk of kidney disease if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or a close family member with kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease damages the nephrons slowly over several years. Other kidney problems include:

The kidneys are shaped like beans (kidney beans, naturally) and spend their days filtering the blood to remove waste. They also balance your electrolyte levels. Wastes removed from the blood by the kidneys are then passed into the urine and flow out of the body. All of the blood in your body flows through the kidneys several times each day to be cleansed. It’s a big job, and if your kidneys aren’t working right, that can lead to serious health problems. In fact, several kidney diseases can be life-threatening.

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KIDNEY FUNCTIONS

 

Kidney Function

Your kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs with one located on each side of the spine, right beneath your ribcage. Kidneys are part of the urinary tract and have several system-wide functions:

• Filtering the blood to remove waste and excess fluid through the urine.
• Maintaining a balance of water, nutrients like vitamin D, and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and potassium.
• Creating hormones that control blood pressure, develop red blood cells, and keep bones strong.

Blood continuously flows into the kidney through the nephrons. Each kidney contains roughly one million nephrons. These tiny units contain a glomerulus, which does the filtering, and a tubule, which returns vital minerals and nutrients to the blood while removing excess fluid and wastes.
Kidney disease involves a gradual loss of kidney function. As the kidneys progressively lose their filtering ability, toxic levels of fluids, minerals, and waste build up in the body.

In the early stages, kidney disease is ‘silent’ with few signs or symptoms, often preventing it from being detected until it’s advanced. If caught early, underlying causes of kidney disease – such as high blood pressure, diabetes, polycystic kidney disease (an inherited, chronic condition that causes fluid-filled cysts to form in the kidney), and inflammation of the glomeruli – can be treated.

Unfortunately, advanced kidney damage can progress to kidney failure, which means patients must eventually require dialysis or have a kidney transplant.

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TYPES OF KIDNEY DISEASE

Types

At its core, kidney disease relates to the organs’ inability to clear the blood of toxins. “There are a lot of ways – specific diseases – to get to that place, but it will usually entail some decline in glomerular function,” says Dr. Brad Rovin, a nephrologist and director of the division of nephrology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. The glomeruli are tiny filters in the kidneys that remove waste from the body. If they aren’t working optimally or are somehow blocked from doing their job, that can result in a buildup of waste and fluid in the body that makes you sick.

The most common kidney disease is chronic kidney disease.

Chronic Kidney Disease

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases reports that chronic kidney disease “means your kidneys are damaged and can’t filter blood the way they should.” Chronic kidney disease – a progressive type of kidney problem that gets worse over time – is the most common type of kidney disease. It affects about 30 million Americans, according to the American Kidney Fund. Though it’s progressive and incurable, it can be managed. It’s important to seek care if you're at risk of developing this condition or think you may have symptoms. Early intervention can slow the progression of the disease and help preserve your own kidney function longer.

Other Types of Kidney Disease

In addition to chronic kidney disease, there are several other types of kidney disease that can be either chronic or acute. A few of the more common among these are:

• Glomerulonephritis. This kidney disease develops when the glomeruli, those tiny filters that remove waste from the body, become inflamed or damaged and no longer function properly. The chronic version of this disease was once called Bright’s disease. Acute forms of the disease can develop from a strep infection that’s not been treated properly or from other infections.

• Autoimmune-disease-related kidney disease. Certain autoimmune diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, cause the immune system to attack the body’s own cells. When this process affects the kidneys, it can lead to reduced kidney function. This process can be acute or chronic and is often treated using steroids or other immunosuppressant medications that get the immune system to stop attacking the body’s cells.

• Polycystic kidney disease. This inherited disorder leads to the development of fluid-filled cysts all over the kidneys, causing the organs to grow too large and lose function. It’s a progressive, incurable disease, but can be managed with a growing number of medications.

• Kidney cancer. As with any other part of the body, genetic mutations in cells of the kidney can give rise to cancerous tumors. Kidney cancer is among the 10 most prevalent types of cancer in the U.S. The American Cancer Society estimates that 73,820 new cases of kidney cancer will be diagnosed in 2019 and about 14,770 people will die from the disease. It’s more common among people aged 45 and older. It can be treated with a range of interventions including surgery, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy.

 Rare Kidney Diseases

The AKF reports that some rare diseases can also cause problems in the kidney. There are quite a few of these rare diseases, but a few include:

• Alport syndrome. This genetic disease is caused by problems with three genes that control how certain body parts are shaped. It causes the kidneys, eyes, and eyes to grow abnormally. As such, hearing loss, vision loss, and kidney disease can result. Blood in the urine is often the first sign of the disease.

• Goodpasture syndrome. Also known as anti-glomerular basement membrane disease, Goodpasture syndrome is a rare autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks a membrane in the kidneys and lungs, causing bleeding from the lungs and kidney failure. The disease can progress very quickly but can be managed with steroids and other immunosuppressant medications that stop the immune system from attacking the body’s tissues.

• Wegener’s granulomatosis. Also called granulomatosis with polyangiitis, this rare disease causes inflammation of blood vessels in the nose, sinuses, throat, lungs, and kidneys. It’s a type of vasculitis that slows blood flow to the kidneys. Discharge from the nose, nosebleed, and sinus infections along with fever and blood in the urine could signal this rare disease. The disease tends to worsen very quickly, but it can be treated with medications.

Kidney Stones, Infection, and Injury

In addition to diseases that rob the kidneys of their function, injury and infection can also cause problems. Some of the more common issues that can affect your kidneys include:

• Kidney stones. Hard deposits of minerals and salts can develop in the kidneys, resulting in stones. They may not cause any symptoms while they’re forming, but if they move or pass into the tube that connects the kidney to the bladder, they can become excruciatingly painful and lead to infection. You may require medical care to safely pass these stones, especially if they become lodged in the urinary tract on their way out of the body. If you get kidney stones frequently, talk to your doctor about ways to reduce their formation, such as drinking more water and changing your diet. Having frequent kidney stones could also increase your risk of developing chronic kidney disease later.

• Kidney infections. Urinary tract infections that are not properly treated can move up the urinary tract system and into the kidneys. Once there, the infection can result in damage to the kidneys. Symptoms include fever and abdominal pain, an intense and frequent need to urinate, blood in the urine, and nausea or vomiting. These infections can be treated with antibiotics but may require hospitalization. If you have a UTI and it’s not getting better or your symptoms worsen, visit your doctor. A severe kidney infection can be life-threatening.

Acute kidney injury. Acute kidney injury can occur in a number of ways, including from trauma sustained in a car accident, example, or from decreased blood flow caused by vasculitis (inflammation of blood vessels), organ failure, surgery, or blockage of the urinary tract. An acute allergic reaction to certain medications can also cause the kidneys to shut down. No matter what the cause is, an acute kidney injury can be a life-threatening situation and needs to be addressed immediately.

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CAUSES

 

Causes

Chronic kidney disease can result from a number of causes, including:

• High blood pressure. The National Kidney Foundation reports that high blood pressure is the number one cause of chronic kidney disease because high blood pressure can damage blood vessels, which can reduce the blood supply to the kidneys. High blood pressure also damages the glomeruli (the tiny filters in your kidneys). Rovin says patients with high blood pressure “should be screened regularly for kidney involvement.”

• Diabetes. Similarly, the effects of diabetes on the body over time also contribute to the development of kidney disease. Frequent high blood sugar levels cause damage to many internal organs at the cellular level. The kidneys are especially susceptible to this damage and may stop functioning properly. Rovin notes that the diabetes connection with kidney disease affects people with all types of diabetes. People with either "Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes should have a thorough investigation of kidney function periodically that will check their serum chemistries and creatinine to make sure they’re OK.” He says looking for protein in the urine should also be a regular occurrence for diabetics.

• Cancer. Renal failure can result from kidney cancer or other types of cancer that spread to the kidney. Kidney damage can also be a side effect of certain cancer treatments such as chemotherapy agents.

• Strep infection. Infection with the strep bacteria, if not properly treated, can lead to a variety of other issues, including inflammation of the kidneys that can impede their function.

• Vasculitis. This condition causes inflammation of the blood vessels. Because the kidneys are highly vascularized, they are sensitive to changes in the health of the vascular system.

• Autoimmune diseases. In any kind of autoimmune disease, the body’s immune system – which is designed to protect the body from disease-causing agents – gets confused and begins attacking the body’s own cells. There are a wide range of autoimmune diseases, but some, lupus in particular, that can cause damage to the kidneys. Rovin notes that about 50% of lupus patients “will develop severe kidney involvement,” so screening for these issues and staying on top of your health if you have an autoimmune disease like lupus is important. He notes that treatment for these types of kidney diseases focuses on controlling the symptoms of the autoimmune disease and getting systemic inflammation under control. Immunosuppressant medications, such as steroids, may help.

• Other infections. Bacterial urinary tract infections can eventually reach the kidneys and cause damage. Certain infections of the heart can also travel to the kidneys and wreak havoc. Viral infections, such as HIV, as well as hepatitis B and hepatitis C – two viruses that first infect the liver and then can progress to the kidneys – can also cause damage to the glomeruli. In all of these cases, management of the original infection can help reduce the chances of developing kidney damage or reducing its severity.

• Medications. Overuse or abuse of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen and naproxen sodium, can also damage the kidneys.

Other risk factors include:

• Cardiovascular disease. Heart disease of any type elevates the risk of kidney problems because of how many blood vessels run through the kidneys.
• Obesity. Being overweight puts more strain on many of the body’s organ systems, including the kidneys.
• Smoking. Smoking damages vascular structures throughout the body. Rovin says smoking has been associated with kidney disease.
• Family history. If other close family members have had kidney disease, that can increase your risk of developing it.
• Race. African-Americans, Native Americans and Asian-Americans are at higher risk than Caucasians.

Age. Older adults are at higher risk of losing kidney function.