Atrophic kidney is a medical condition that is characterized by the shrinkage
in the size of one or both kidneys due to an inadequate blood supply to the
kidneys and/or loss of nephrons. This condition is also referred to as renal
atrophy. The loss of nephrons could also cause the renal arteries and veins to
shrink.
What Causes Atrophic Kidney?
Renal diseases, urinary tract obstruction, acute pyelonephritis or any
condition that impacts the nephron function in a negative manner could give rise
to renal atrophy.
Ischemia, which refers to the decreased supply of oxygen and nutrients due to
inadequate blood flow to the kidneys, could also have an adverse effect on
kidney function. Ischemia may occur due to atherosclerosis or the formation of
renal cysts.
Renal artery occlusion, which is a blockage of the major arteries that supply
blood to the kidneys, could also be caused by blood clots.
Damage to the renal parenchyma as a result of obstruction in the urinary
system.
Compression of blood vessels as a result of renal cyst.
Renal atrophy symptoms
Renal atrophy occurs in patients nausea and vomiting, fatigue, and anemia.
Continued deterioration will occur uremia. renal atrophy patients . renal
atrophy will face, leg edema, the symptoms of skin itching, and may also be
accompanied by swelling of the feet, some patients will have severe back pain.
not long-term sedentary. renal atrophy due to long-term kidney problems,
overwork caused suffering renal atrophy, legs and feet have swollen phenomenon,
blood pressure will rise high with the sicker. The body will gradually become
emaciated down.
Diagnosis and Removal Of Atrophic Kidney
For chalking out the treatment plan, doctors first need to determine the
underlying cause of this condition. Sonography and intravenous urography might
not always help in the diagnosis, however, imaging procedures such as CT scan
and MRI can surely help in the diagnosis of renal atrophy.
Atrophic kidney can be singular or bilateral. It depends on what the reason
is. When a person is diagnosed with atrophic kidney the first thing the doctor
wants to know is how much is the kidney functioning. At this stage it is not
important to know the size of kidney and the percentage of its function left. If
the kidney is completely non functional as a result of complete damage to the
kidney, there is no other option left but to remove the non functional
kidney.
However, when kidney is found to be functioning even at its minimal, all
attempts are made to revitalize the kidney function. In case of urinary tract
infection that is responsible for kidney atrophy, necessary medications are
administered to reverse the bad kidney function. If the patient is suffering
from kidney failure due to chronic kidney disease he may require undergoing
dialysis. There may be a need for renal transplant in future.