What are the functions of the kidney and how is the diagnosis of kidney function failure confirmed?
The healthy kidney normally filters the blood and rids the body of the waste products from protein metabolism by body cells. When the kidney fails, these waste products accumulate gradually in the blood and can cause symptoms of varying degree. Advanced kidney failure leads to a condition known as uremic poisoning. With uremic poisoning, the patient experiences loss of appetite, weight loss, fluid retention, nausea and vomiting. Inability to function properly due to depression, anxiety and lack of proper mental capacity often occurs at these late stages of uremia. Standard testing of the blood or urine may indicate abnormalities suggestive of kidney disease. The most prominent of these is protein or blood in the urine on a routine urinalysis. These findings are virtually always abnormal and your doctor may follow up any such discovery with diagnostic tests to find the cause. Routine blood testing for the waste products mentioned above such as blood urea nitrogen or serum creatinine oft
