What Can Be the Cause of Weakened Muscle and Kidney Functioning

What can be the cause of weakened muscle and kidney functioning?” is a vital question that delves into the potential underlying health issues contributing to these critical impairments. With every breath you take, your body functions like a well-managed city. And if your body is a city, your kidneys are the well-trained waste management crew.

Let’s learn more about these vital organs. We’ll dive into what can go wrong with these marvels of biological engineering and how to maintain peak health so your kidneys are always ready to perform their essential functions.

Kidney Function: Essential Filtration

The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs located on either side of the lower spine below your ribs. As a primary role, kidneys are the filtering units of the body and pull out waste products and extra fluid from the blood and excrete it as urine.

Kidneys help to maintain the right balance of electrolytes in the body. Sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium are all essential elements found in the body. They help regulate nerve function and muscle contractions and contribute to cell health. If these components get out of balance they can cause havoc and create dangerous health problems. A lot of muscle weakness problems can be attributed to imbalances in these vital minerals. The kidneys quietly manage electrolyte levels to keep everything regulated.

The kidneys also help control the blood volume and constriction of blood vessels. Thus they play a vital role in balancing blood pressure. Your kidneys are also hormone producers. For example, they create erythropoietin to stimulate the production of red blood cells and regulate calcium through the hormone calcitriol.

What is Chronic Kidney Disease?

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a gradual loss of kidney function over time. Often the progression is slow and there may be no noticeable symptoms until later stages of the disease. There is no cure for kidney disease and it cannot be reversed. However, with proper treatment and lifestyle changes, most people can slow or stop the disease progression.

What Makes You High Risk for Developing Chronic Kidney Disease?

While anyone can develop chronic kidney disease, some factors can put you at greater risk. You should speak with your healthcare team if you fall into the following categories.

Diabetes

High blood sugar levels can damage the delicate blood vessels in the kidneys causing diabetic nephropathy. People with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are at higher levels of risk for developing CKD.

High Blood Pressure

Chronic hypertension can also damage the small blood vessels of the kidneys. Tiny cracks form in your artery linings which allows for the formation of fatty deposits, especially if you also have high cholesterol levels.

It becomes a compounding problem as high blood pressure worsens due to the restricted blood flow. As the damage becomes more severe, the tiny filters inside your kidneys are destroyed.

Other Causes

Other conditions can make you susceptible to chronic kidney disease. Consider just a few of the medical conditions that can put you at an increased risk.

• Glomerulonephritis: An inflammation of the kidney’s filtering units because of infection or autoimmune disease.
• Polycystic Kidney Disease: A genetic condition that causes multiple cysts to grow in the kidneys, causing them to become enlarged.
• Obstructive Uropathy and UTIs: A blockage in the urinary tract because of kidney stones or tumors can keep urine from flowing properly. Repeated urinary tract infections (UTIs) and infection can cause kidney tissue scarring.
• Acute Kidney Injury: Damage to the kidney organs from infections or injury can strain the body’s filtration system.
• Medication: Long-term medication use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen can lead to kidney damage.

Diagnosis of Lower Kidney Function

How does a doctor determine if you suffer from reduced kidney function? As we said, there may be few outward symptoms. However, a variety of blood and urine tests can help diagnose kidney function issues.

For example, the Serum Creatinine blood test looks for elevated levels of creatinine in the bloodstream which can indicate impaired kidney function. Creatinine is produced as a waste product when protein is broken down by the body. The Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) blood test checks for high levels of urea in the blood which suggests the kidneys-filter-process is not working as it should.

Urine tests like the Albumin-to-Creatinine Ratio (ACR) measure the level of the protein albumin in the blood to indicate kidney damage.

Imaging tests like an ultrasound or CT scan may also help to detect structural abnormalities in the kidneys.

However, the most definitive test for measuring and classifying chronic kidney disease progression is a measurement of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR).

Glomerular Filtration Rate

This test determines how well the kidneys are doing to filter waste from the blood. A level below 60 mL/min for three months or more indicates chronic kidney disease. Because the GFR is an involved test, often the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is used. This blood test measures the serum creatinine level, age, sex, and race of the patient to calculate the GFR using a specific formula.

The eGFR allows a healthcare professional to accurately stage the progression of the kidney disease:

• Stage 1 (eGFR greater than 90): Normal kidney function but with evidence of kidney damage.
• Stage 2 (eGFR 60-89): Mildly reduced kidney function, perhaps with no symptoms.
• Stage 3 (eGFR 30-59): Moderately reduced kidney function.
• Stage 4 (eGFR 15-29): Severely reduced kidney function.
• Stage 5 (eGFR less than 15): End-stage kidney disease or kidney failure.

Preventing Reduced Kidney Function

The key to preventing the progression of chronic kidney disease is to manage risk factors and make healthy lifestyle choices.

Diabetics should manage blood glucose levels to keep within their target range through the use of medication, diet, and regular monitoring.

Control high blood pressure with lifestyle adjustments, regular exercise, and medication if necessary. Excess salt intake can also increase blood pressure, so monitor sodium in your diet.

A healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains can help you achieve balance. Avoid high potassium and high phosphorus foods in the later stages of CKD.

Smoking can worsen kidney damage and lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Alcohol consumption should also be limited.

Treatment of Kidney Diseases

Since kidney disease cannot be cured or reversed, the best option for treatment is to slow or stop the progression if possible. Lifestyle changes usually provide the best hope for doing this as long as the kidney disease has not advanced too far.

Kidneys filter the blood of waste products. But when the kidneys fail and aren’t working properly, other means of removing these toxins are needed.

Dialysis

Dialysis is a medical treatment that performs the function of the kidneys to remove excess water and waste. The two main types of dialysis are hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.

Hemodialysis

In hemodialysis, blood is filtered outside your body by an artificial kidney machine called a dialyzer. The dialyzer draws blood out cleans it and returns the cleaned blood back to your body. This process usually takes 3-5 hours several times a week.

Peritoneal Dialysis

Peritoneal dialysis uses the lining of your abdomen as a natural filter. Dialysate, a special fluid that absorbs waste products and excess fluid, is infused through a catheter and then drained out.

Kidney Transplantation

Kidney transplant surgery can replace a failing organ with a healthy organ from a living or deceased donor. Many patients can realize normal kidney function and remove the need for dialysis after a successful kidney transplant.

However, kidney transplantation isn’t without risk. Sometimes the organ is rejected. Anti-rejection medication will need to be taken to try to prevent this from happening. There is also a long wait list for donor organs with some patients waiting three or more years for a matched donor.

Conclusion

Muscle weakness and kidney dysfunction can be troubling health conditions. This may be due to an electrolyte imbalance or a problem like chronic kidney disease.

Most people with chronic kidney disease will see a slow progression without symptoms until the disease has advanced over time to more severe levels. This progression may be slowed or halted through decisive action.

Manage blood sugar levels, take care of high blood pressure issues, and maintain good urinary tract health to protect your kidney function. In conclusion, understanding what can be the cause of weakened muscle and kidney functioning is essential for early diagnosis and effective management of these interconnected health challenges.