2012-01-30

We are living with PKD

Although there is no cure for PKD there are many ways of managing the symptoms to help prevent complications and delay loss of kidney function.
It’s extremely important to check your blood pressure (BP) regularly. High blood pressure or hypertension is known to accelerate kidney function decline and is a high risk factor in developing strokes and heart attacks. If you cannot maintain blood pressure at an acceptable level, you will need medication. Choose sports that do not involve heavy physical contact as a hard knock to the back may cause cysts to be bruised, resulting in blood in the urine. Weight training is not recommended. Swimming, cycling and aerobics are all safe sports.
Below are some dietary tips - but if you are near or on dialysis, check with your consultant before following these or any diet:
Eat a moderate amount of protein - 0.8-1g per kg of body weight, and more if you engage in strenuous exercise or manual work. If you are a vegetarian, substitute soy products but avoid those high in sodium/salt.
Drink 8-10 glasses of fluid a day, 50% being water.
Eat more fruit and vegetables
Eat fish and meat low in saturated fat
Keep alcohol at a minimum: 14 units per week for women, 21 units per week for men.

2012-01-29

What Happens When a Kidney (Renal) Cyst Ruptures

As people get older, sacs filled with fluid can form in the kidneys. These sacs are called "cysts." The cyst which forms on kidney (Simple Kidney Cyst or Complex Kidney Cyst) may rupture, although usually the simple cysts don't cause any problems. In severe cases, renal failure can be caused. Ruptured cysts on kidney, can lead to obstructed blood flow in certain parts of the kidney resulting in damage. Hence it is better to know the manifestations when a cyst ruptures. The manifestations of a rupture kidney cyst are as follows:
Blood in urine, the medical name of which is hematuria (gross hematuria or microscopic hematuria), can be caused by a ruptured cyst. If a cyst on kidney ruptures, infection can follow it and lead to bleeding of a cyst. Complex kidney cysts are more likely to cause bleeding with rupture comparing to a simple cyst.
Ruptured kidney cysts can cause pain in the back, sides, abdomen and hips. People with kidney cysts may feel back pain aggravating.

Proteinuria (Protein in Urine) Will Disappear after Kidney Function Is Repaired-Kidney Diseases

Protein in the blood plays important an important role in keeping the body working normally. Like albumin and immunoglobulin, it helps coagulation (clotting), balance bodily fluids, and fight against infections. There are millions of tiny filtering screens called glomeruli in the kidneys which have the function of removing wastes from the blood. Most proteins are big in size and they cannot pass through the glomeruli into the urine. In addition, the glomeruli are negatively charged, and so it is with the proteins. In this way, they repel each other and proteins cannot pass through the filtration membrane. Thus, a size and charge barrier in the glomeruli keeps protein molecules from entering the urine. But when the glomeruli are damaged, proteins of various sizes pass through them and are excreted in the urine, forming proteinuria.
Therefore, to treat protein in urine, the renal cells should be repaired, rather than just treat the symptoms.
In China, Micro-Chinese Medicine, a kind of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can repair kidney function cells and treat protein in urine.Micro-Chinese Medicine is a kind of traditional Chinese herbal medicine, which has obvious effect of repairing renal intrinsic cells and thus treating kidney diseases from the root cause. By its functions of dilating blood vessels, anti-inflammation, anti-coagulation and degradation, it can achieve the effects of blocking the kidney damage, repairing the damaged kidneys cells and restoring the normal kidney structure so as to treat kidney disease.
After kidney function is repaired, the kidney can reabsorb protein back again. Protein in urine (proteinuria) caused by kidney diseases can be treated and then disappear.