Post Date December, 03 2023
The kidney is one of the most important organs in the human body, and it is a very fragile body organ that can easily cause many kidney diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to pay more attention. As one of the important organs in the five viscera and six internal organs, what are the important functions of the kidney? Why do kidney diseases occur frequently? What is the cause?
Kidney disease is a "silent killer"
The latest epidemiological survey shows that chronic kidney disease has become one of the main diseases threatening public health worldwide, with a prevalence rate even higher than that of some common cancers.
"About 6.5% to 13.1% of the general population in developed countries suffer from kidney diseases of varying degrees, with the number of kidney diseases in the United States already exceeding 20 million, and hospitals treating as many as 1 million kidney patients each year." Professor William Mitch, an internationally renowned nephrologist and former chairman of the American Society of Nephrology, told the Life Times that there are far more patients with kidney disease who do not go to hospital.
Experts further pointed out that the prevalence of chronic kidney disease in China is around 10%, with about 450000 deaths due to uremia each year. "This result is shocking, and it has a great relationship with people's failure to protect their kidneys."
"Compared to other major diseases that endanger human health, chronic kidney disease can be said to be a silent killer." Experts said that chronic kidney disease includes nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, renal failure, uremia, and so on. These diseases are very insidious and have no obvious symptoms at the onset, making it difficult for patients to attach importance to them. Therefore, many patients have already developed into the terminal stage of kidney disease, even uremia, when they begin to seek medical attention. "The average annual medical cost of uremic patients exceeds 100000 yuan, causing many families to become poor or return to poverty due to illness." The best way to avoid this is to properly protect their kidneys.
Kidney is not good, all the internal organs are sick
The heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys, although the kidneys rank last among the five internal organs, play the most important role. If the kidney is likened to a "boiler," the "cinder" (metabolites) produced by the body's combustion must be discharged through the boiler. If there is a problem with the "boiler" and the waste cannot be discharged, not only will the "boiler" be damaged, but the entire system will also collapse.
The kidney has three major functions: one is to generate urine and maintain water balance. "Each kidney in the human body has approximately 1.3 million glomeruli, which can filter and clean 200 liters of blood per day, equivalent to 10 barrels of drinking water, forming about 1.8 liters of urine. When there is too much or too little water in the body, the kidneys regulate the urine volume and maintain the body's water balance." The second is to discharge metabolites and toxic substances from the body.
The metabolism of the human body produces metabolic wastes such as urea, uric acid, creatinine, etc. The kidneys maintain normal physiological activity by expelling these wastes from the urine. The third is endocrine function. Such as secreting erythropoietin (EPO) to promote bone marrow hematopoiesis; Generate active vitamin D to regulate calcium and phosphorus metabolism and maintain the normal structure and function of bones; Secreting vasoactive substances to regulate blood pressure, etc.
It is precisely because the kidney has these three major functions that when there is a problem with the kidney, other parts of the body will also have problems. Academician Chen Xiangmei said that in the early stage of kidney disease, fatigue, fatigue, swollen eyelids, pale face, a lot of foam in urine, pain or difficulty in urination were the main causes. Next, there will be loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, low back pain, increased nocturia, systemic edema, elevated blood pressure, exhalation with urine odor, bone pain, skin itching, muscle tremor, numbness of hands and feet, and slow reaction. If severe, the above symptoms continue to worsen, and can lead to multiple organ failure such as heart, liver, and lungs.
