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Written by: Xu YunPhotography: Hong Zhifu
Kidneys are the body’s water purification system It’s not easy to get symptoms of early kidney disease, and it can be hidden for a long time without anyone noticing it. Because of the kidneys’ filtering ability, it will gradually decline after the age of 40 . Knowing the risk of kidney disease will help prevent early; explained Dr. tissue, and the effect of drugs on the kidneys.
Guest host: Chen Zhizhong (Wilson)
Early kidney disease has no obvious symptoms and is easily overlooked until the kidneys are damaged.
Is drinking eight glasses of water a day enough?
The amount of water we need depends mainly on the amount of water we lose. The usual saying of drinking eight glasses of water a day is a rough idea. If ordinary people drink clean water, they need at least one liter a day, together with other drinks, such as tea, For coffee, soup, etc., the daily intake should be at least two litres. If you sweat a lot in the summer or on after a lot of exercise, you need to add more water. You can judge if you are not drinking enough water by the dark or light color of the urine. If the urine turns dark yellow, it means that the body is dehydrated If the color of the urine goes is lighter and turns white, it means that the body has enough water.
Doesn’t drinking enough water affect the kidneys?
In any case, dehydration of the body, regardless of the influence of drugs, or failure to replenish water in time after sweating a lot, seriously affects blood circulation, and can lead to impaired kidney function.
Does holding back urine for a long time affect kidney function?
Urinary tolerance is divided into two categories: passive and active. Passive type means that the urethra is blocked and cannot urinate normally, and urine is forced to be stored in the bladder or kidneys. Men can be affected by benign enlargement of the prostate or prostate cancer, and women can be affected by cancers of the reproductive system, such as ovarian or cervical cancer When the ureter is blocked, it is like a blocked river channel that cannot drain normally The patient feels an urge to urinate but cannot urinate normally This type of passive urination can cause urine to flow back from the bladder through the urethra into the kidney, causing damage to the kidney tissue.
The other type of active continence, when the bladder has stored a certain amount of urine, it may be because of work or other reasons that the desire to urinate is not urinating. In this case, reflux is not easy. it will not damage the function of the kidneys, but it is often tolerated. Urine, urine that is stored in the bladder for a long time, will increase the risk of urethritis.
Can the color of the urine tell if there is a problem with the kidneys?
In some cases, the color of urine can indeed reflect the condition of the kidneys. If the urine is blood-coloured, a strong brown or soy sauce colour, it may be a sign of a kidney problem. If it appears to be a golden yellow or brick red colour. , it may be due to high bilirubin or jaundice. , so the urine color is abnormal, which reflects some conditions of the body.
Will constant use of painkillers or over the counter drugs damage the kidneys?
NSAIDs for joint pain, if taken in excess, can lead to long-term inflammation of the tissues in the kidneys and renal tubules, which can cause kidney damage Traditional Chinese medicines that aristolochic acid content also directly damages kidney function ■ Some diabetes and high blood pressure drugs, as well as some antibiotics, also have the opportunity to cause damage to kidney function; Destructively, even a lot of water is not enough to make it up.
Dr Ho pointed out that the kidneys are part of the urinary system and are responsible for filtering blood and producing urine to remove metabolic waste from the body.
What will be the effect of eating “Qushui Pills” on the kidneys for fitness and weight loss?
Abusing Qushui tablets can directly affect kidney function and cause different side effects, including excessive loss of water, salt and potassium, causing cramps or irregular heartbeat, and gout caused by high uric acid; some Qushui pills can cause pancreas Inflammation can be life-threatening if severe, so it should not be abused or taken inappropriately to avoid adverse complications.
Why do high blood pressure and diabetes affect kidney function?
The most important tissues in the kidney are the glomerulus and the renal tubules. The glomerulus contains microfilament blood vessels, which have a filtering function similar to that of a shroud. Normally, the blood vessels have smooth inner walls. When r high blood pressure or diabetes, the inner walls of the blood vessels are smooth The tissue will be destroyed, leading to blockage or fibrosis Over time, the damage to the vascular tissue will affect the normal function of the kidney Po the longer the time, the more When the glomerulus becomes fibrotic, it cannot filter and excrete toxins Go, is what we call kidney failure, end stage renal failure requires kidney dialysis or kidney replacement ; currently one in ten new patients require kidney dialysis or a kidney replacement, five of which are caused by diabetes, as well as chronic kidney disease Glomerulitis and high blood pressure are the second and third leading causes of end stage renal failure.
Many patients with tricuspids ignore the effect of the disease on the kidneys, leading to a silent decline in kidney function.
Do the kidneys deteriorate with age?
Kidney function is calculated based on the creatinine clearance rate. The average person has about 100 degrees, which decreases once a year. Like other human organs, as age increases, kidney function will deteriorate gradually and consumes about 1%. per year If he is affected by disease, which exceeds the natural decline rate, the data shows that the annual decline is more than 3.3%, and there is a great chance of kidney failure in the future.
Is there any way to prevent kidney problems early?
We know that some diseases can affect kidney function, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high uric acid and high cholesterol, etc., which need to be dealt with and treated as soon as possible. Smoking and obesity can also cause proteinuria and affect kidney function: data shows that some Drugs can have a special protective function on the kidneys, but it seems that there is no food that has a special protective function on the kidneys. On the contrary, some can drugs or foods damage the kidneys if eaten inappropriately, such as excessive salt, protein, meat and soy products, protein supplements, etc. It also includes some Western medicines or Chinese patent medicines, which can cause damage to the kidneys if taken inappropriately.
Doctor profile
He Jiliang-Specialist in Nephrology, Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, University of Newcastle, UK, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London, UK, Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, UK, Fellow of the Hong Kong College of Physicians, Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine ( Internal Medicine).
