What is Kidney Disease?
Kidney disease permanently damages your kidneys and prevents them from carrying out necessary functions that keep your body regulated. Kidney functions that are affected by kidney disease are: removal of wastes and fluid from your body, regulation of body water and chemicals in your blood, removal of drugs and toxins introduced in your body, and the release of hormones that help regulate blood pressure, produce red blood cells and promote strong and healthy bones. If the kidneys are unable to perform these functions, then wastes can increase rapidly in your blood and can cause you to feel very sick. Kidney disease can further complicate a person’s health by causing high blood pressure, anemia, weak bones, poor nutritional health and nerve damage. If kidney disease goes undetected, it can eventually lead to kidney failure, which can only be treated by lifelong dialysis or a kidney transplant in order to maintain a relatively normal lifestyle.
