Over 37 million Americans—or one in seven adults—are currently living with chronic kidney disease (CKD). While the condition causes some better known symptoms, such as the gradual loss of kidney function, it can also come with some more surprising ones that affect different parts of the body. In fact, experts warn that there's one symptom that can gradually damage an important body part, causing pain and weakness beyond the kidneys.
To make matters worse, experts say that this condition appears in nearly all cases of severe CKD. "The disorder is almost always found in the more than 785,000 Americans who have kidney failure and are either on dialysis or had a kidney transplant," writes the National Institute of Health. However, it can also appear in the earlier stages of the disease.
Kidney disease comes very suddenly, so we should always pay attention to the status of our kidney function. It is very important to prepare at-home kidney tests at home. We can always know the condition of our kidney function through at-home kidney tests, so we can avoid the analysis in time and keep a good body!
If you feel pain or weakness in your bones, try using at-home kidney tests.
Your kidneys are primarily responsible for removing waste and extra fluid from your body. However, they also help maintain adequate levels of minerals and nutrients, keeping your bones strong. If you suffer from kidney disease or kidney failure, these functions cease to work, leaving you vulnerable to a condition known as mineral and bone disorder.
Among those with severe chronic kidney disease, this condition is surprisingly prevalent. "Anyone with CKD is likely to have some level of mineral and bone disorder," writes the. "As kidney function declines, mineral and bone disorder progresses. The disorder is almost always found in the more than 785,000 Americans who have kidney failure and are either on dialysis or had a kidney transplant."
This particular disorder occurs when there is an imbalance in your blood levels of calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D. This imbalance causes the parathyroid glands to release extra parathyroid hormone (PTH) into your blood "to move calcium from your bones to restore your blood calcium levels," explains the health organization. This in turn removes much needed calcium from the bones, resulting in bone pain, weakness, brittleness, or even misshapen bones—a collection of symptoms known as renal osteodystrophy.
Do you know what bone disease in chronic kidney disease (CKD) is?
Bone disease in chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a disease that can affect the bones, heart, and blood vessels of people with CKD. Bone disease occurs when the damaged kidneys in CKD are unable to filter blood and regulate hormones the way they should. Hormone levels and mineral levels, such as calcium and phosphorus, then become imbalanced, causing damage.
What role do the kidneys play in bone growth?
Your kidneys play an important role in maintaining healthy bone mass and structure by
Balancing calcium and phosphorus levels in your blood
Activating a form of vitamin D you get from food and converting it to a form called osteotriol, which your bones use to excrete excess phosphorus from your blood through your urine. Sends phosphate and calcium from your kidneys and bones back into your bloodstream when more is needed
Why do I need an at-home kidney test if I have bone disease?
Kidney damage caused by CKD can lead to mineral and bone disease because the damaged kidneys cannot properly balance the body's mineral and hormone levels. The damaged kidneys stop converting vitamin D to osteotriol, causing an imbalance of calcium in the blood. Removing excess phosphorus from the blood triggers the blood to pull calcium out of the bones and causes them to weaken. In addition, when your kidneys are damaged, the parathyroid glands, located in the neck but not related to your thyroid function, release extra PTH into your bloodstream to divert calcium from your bones, thereby restoring your blood calcium levels; however, this response also leaves your bones lacking in much-needed calcium.
What symptoms of bone disease require the at-home kidney test?
Adults with mineral and bone disorders may experience pain in their bones and joints. However, these symptoms may not appear until years after a person has had the disorder.
Mineral and bone disease is especially serious in children because their bones are still developing and growing. Unlike adults, children in the early stages of CKD can show significant skeletal changes due to mineral and bone disease. For example, they may not grow as expected - a condition called growth failure - or their bones may become weak due to a lack of calcium.
This condition may worsen existing heart disease, try at-home kidney tests
Besides damaging your bones, mineral and bone disorder can also affect your heart and blood vessels, says the National Kidney Foundation. When calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D levels get out of balance, calcium can build up in the heart and blood vessels, which is known to cause or worsen heart disease.
Additionally, high levels of phosphorus from mineral and bone disorder can cause calcification of the blood vessels, leaving them hardened over time. Those who develop vascular calcification are at higher risk for cardiovascular events such as heart attack, heart failure, blood clots, and more.
Ever wondered why heart and kidney diseases often go together? Dr Paul Kalra, consultant cardiologist at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth, talks to Judy O’Sullivan about how our vital organs interact.
Imagine there’s been an accident on one of the motorways linking some of the UK’s major cities. It’s rarely just the one road that’s affected – a traffic jam on one major route often leads to congestion on others.
The same is true for your body. Think of your vital organs as key cities linked together by a network of motorways and main roads – the arteries and veins. When there’s a problem in one, things often go wrong elsewhere. This is especially true of the heart and kidneys, which work very closely together.
How do the heart and kidneys work together?
The heart's job is to deliver a constant supply of oxygenated blood to the entire body. The kidneys filter the blood, extract waste products in the form of urine, and also help regulate water and salt levels to control blood pressure.
Recent studies have shown that heart failure is an important risk factor for kidney disease. When the heart stops pumping blood efficiently, it becomes congested, causing an increase in pressure in the major veins connected to the kidneys and leading to blood congestion in the kidneys. The kidneys are also affected by the reduced supply of oxygenated blood.
When the kidneys are damaged, the hormone system that regulates blood pressure goes into overdrive to try to increase the blood supply to the kidneys. The heart must then take the higher pressure in the arteries and eventually take the increased workload.
So if you have heart disease, you need the at-home kidney test even more. Simple at-home kidney tests can check for elevated levels of creatinine, a waste product normally secreted by the kidneys, indicating damage.
You may also notice these other symptoms, try at-home kidney tests
If you do develop mineral and bone disorder, you're likely to have several other symptoms besides those affecting your bones, blood vessels, and heart. People with the condition often report itchy skin, anemia, nerve damage, and "difficulty fighting off germs," says the National Kidney Foundation.
If you suspect mineral and bone disorder, there are several ways for your doctor to screen you for the condition. First, they will most likely run blood tests to check your blood for calcium, phosphorus, PTH, and vitamin D. Next, they may order an abdominal x-ray or EKG of the heart, which can give insights into the state of your heart, blood vessels, and more. Finally, in rare cases, a doctor may perform a biopsy of your bones to identify changes in bone structure or density.
There are several possible treatment options
Your doctor may be able to help you minimize the symptoms of mineral and bone disorder by controlling your hormone and mineral levels, thereby preventing bone and blood vessel damage.
In less severe cases, you may see improvements as a result of dietary changes, medication, and mineral supplements, says. In more severe cases, patients may require dialysis, a kidney transplant, or need further surgery to remove the parathyroid glands.
Speak with your doctor now if you believe you may have symptoms of mineral and bone disorder, or any other signs of kidney disease.
Can bone diseases be prevented?
Bone disease cannot be prevented, but you can delay its onset and slow its progression by protecting your kidneys and improving your bone and blood vessel health. Choose healthy foods, stay active, quit smoking and limit your alcohol consumption in conjunction with the use of at-home kidney tests. Take your medications as prescribed and contact your healthcare professional to discuss treatment updates as your disease status changes. Finally, if you are on dialysis, complete all treatments as prescribed by your health care professional.
2.United States Renal Data System. Chapter 1: Incidence, prevalence, patient characteristics, and treatment modalities. 2020 USRDS Interactive Annual Data Report: Epidemiology of Kidney Disease in the United States, Volume 2: End-Stage Renal Disease. United States Renal Data System, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health; 2020. Accessed November 9, 2020.
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