CRF: what is it? Signs of chronic renal failure

Modern medicine can offer treatment for almost any disease. The development of this field of science does not stop, experts conduct research and experiments so that there are no diseases that cannot be eliminated. Unfortunately, this moment is still very far away. Chronic renal failure just refers to those diseases that are most difficult for doctors to cope with. CRF in humans is common. Indeed, almost half of the pathologies associated with the kidneys, sooner or later lead to a chronic disease. The causes and symptoms of this disease are many, but the result is the same: the kidneys practically cease to fulfill their basic functions, thereby disrupting the normal functioning of the body. In this regard, there is a serious threat to human life and health.

CRF: what is it

CRF is an ailment that occurs when nephrons die or are displaced by connective tissue. Nephrons are important structural units of the kidneys. These particles take part in the processes of blood purification, absorption of electrolytes, disposal of excess water and salt. As a result of the disease, the basic functions of the kidneys are dying out.

Accordingly, due to the malfunctioning of one organ, others suffer as well. The general condition of the patient is significantly worsened, other systems of the body are at risk. Modern medicine boasts the latest developments and technologies. However, 50% of kidney diseases develop into chronic renal failure. The kidneys play a crucial role in the life of the body. Maintaining their proper work is the immediate responsibility of every person who cares about their health.

Today, many experts call the phenomenon under consideration chronic kidney disease (CKD). This emphasizes the possibility of developing a severe form of pathology even at the initial stage of the disease. CRF according to ICD-10 is in the class of “Diseases of the genitourinary system”. Therapy in most cases is carried out by a nephrologist.

Types of Chronic Renal Failure

It would be more correct to say the stage of the disease. Indeed, the classification of chronic renal failure as such simply does not exist. In this case, we will consider the four main stages that the disease goes through if it is not treated. It is worth noting that all of them are associated with the destruction of renal glomeruli and the appearance of scar tissue in their place.

So, the degree of chronic renal failure from the most harmless to the most life-threatening:

1. Initial. Filtration is about 65 ml / min, which is basically the norm. However, at this stage, some deviations are already observed, expressed in violation of night and day diuresis. Patients rarely show health complaints at the initial stage, because the signs of renal failure are not so pronounced here.
2. Compensated. The disease begins to progress, which affects the patient’s health. Efficiency worsens significantly, fatigue increases, and a sensation of dry mouth appears. Filtration is at a level of 30-60 ml / min. Nephrons die, but urea and creatinine are still at a normal level.
3. Intermittent. In this case, the filtration of the kidneys is 15-30 ml / min, the level of dryness of the skin increases. The patient suffers from a general deterioration in well-being, his appetite disappears, and the volume of urine produced increases significantly. Indicators of creatinine and urea are already outside the normal range.
4. Terminal. The classification of chronic renal failure would be incomplete without mentioning the most severe form of the disease. Here there is a filtration level in the region of 10 ml / min. The patient's skin becomes flabby and changes color. A person falls into a state of apathy, constantly wants to sleep and does not move much. Changes occur due to an increase in blood levels of nitrogenous toxins. If at this stage the doctors do not take action, the patient will most likely die.

The causes of the disease

CRF - what is it? As noted above, the abbreviation stands for "chronic renal failure." Accordingly, the causes of this pathology lie in disruption of the work of the same body. In other words, various kidney diseases, if not paid attention to, sooner or later develop into a chronic stage. That is, the appearance of chronic renal failure is just a matter of time. But in order to prevent such a development of events, it is necessary to monitor your health and undergo examinations in time.

List of causes for chronic renal failure:

• almost all kidney diseases: hydronephrosis, pyelonephritis, etc.
• violation of the urinary tract, including the presence of kidney stones;
• diseases associated with the cardiovascular system, such as hypertension;
• diabetes mellitus, in this case during the treatment it is necessary to adhere to the diet prescribed for chronic renal failure.

Symptoms and Appearance

There are a lot of signs of this disease. Let's start with how the appearance of patients changes. In the first two stages of the disease, you will not observe almost any changes. The first signs of chronic renal failure, reflected in appearance, will begin to appear when glomerular filtration is significantly reduced.

So, in most cases, the following problems are observed:

• Violations associated with the skin. Anemia develops, the skin becomes dry, its color changes to yellow-gray.
• Suspicious hematomas appear from nowhere, without bruising or shock.
• There are red spots on the skin, which are characterized by severe itching.
• Swelling occurs on the face, upper and lower extremities, abdomen.
• Muscle condition worsens, they become flabby. As a result of this, a person’s working capacity is significantly reduced, and sometimes cramps and muscle twitches are observed.
• Dry skin does not pass even during severe excitement or stress.

Other signs of kidney failure

Consider the remaining symptoms in chronic renal failure, which are found in most cases:

1. Problems with the nervous system. The patient falls into a state of apathy, sleep worsens, even in the daytime there is an inexplicable fatigue. A person becomes inattentive, memory worsens significantly. The level of learning and perception of information is reduced to a minimum.
2. Imbalance of nitrogen. It occurs when the level of kidney filtration is 40 ml / min or less. The level of uric acid in the blood and creatinine rises, as a result of which there is an unpleasant odor from the mouth, as well as joints are destroyed.
3. Urination. There is one feature here. At the initial stages of the disease, the volume of urine excreted increases, but as the condition worsens, the patient goes to the toilet less and less. This is due to significant disorders in the body and the appearance of edema. In rare and most severe cases, complete anuria is observed.
4. Water-salt balance. Everyone knows that this ratio plays a crucial role in the functioning of the body. Failures in the system lead to disruption of the heart, and sometimes to a halt. The patient constantly feels thirst, with a sharp rise, his head is spinning and darkening in his eyes occurs. It becomes difficult for a person to breathe, muscle paralysis builds up.

Complications

According to ICD-10, CRF is assigned the code number N18.9, which is referred to as "Unspecified chronic kidney disease." The disease itself is characterized as a consequence of a prolonged course of ailments associated with the kidneys. Complications arise in most cases at the very last stage: terminal. However, there are problems expressed in heart failure and hypertension. The patient also has a heart attack, the consequences are different in each specific situation.

It's no secret that CRF has a negative effect on the nervous system. Complications are expressed in the development of seizures and nervous disorders. In particularly difficult situations, the patient may develop dementia. During treatment of chronic renal failure with dialysis, thrombosis often occurs. The most dangerous complication is kidney necrosis. If you do not urgently provide medical care, then a fatal outcome is likely.

Diagnostics

Before you fight the disease, you must first diagnose it. Leave this matter to a specialist. The diagnosis of chronic renal failure is made on the basis of the results of studies conducted by the attending physician. To finally verify the presence of this disease, it is necessary to carry out a number of laboratory measures, including:

• biochemical blood and urine tests;
• Zimnitsky test;
• ultrasound examination of the kidneys.

These procedures reveal a decrease in glomerular filtration, an increase in urea and creatinine. These indicators are the main criteria for chronic renal failure. Blood and urine tests are a necessity, because without them it is impossible to make a correct diagnosis.

There are a lot of methods for detecting a disease, we indicated the most common ones above. Particular attention should be paid to nephroscintigraphy, with which you can evaluate the functional activity of the kidneys. The method is based on the accumulation rate of the radiopharmaceutical separately in each kidney.

CRF during pregnancy

It is worth noting that pregnancy is always associated with a significant burden on the kidneys. Accordingly, if a woman has CRF, then the process of bearing a child proceeds with complications. Pregnancy exacerbates pathology, it begins to progress.

Why is this happening? The fact is that during pregnancy, renal blood flow increases, which stimulates excessive glomerular tension, and as a result, some of them die. In addition, blood clots form in the capillaries due to increased work of the blood coagulation system.

Creatinine CRF can be divided into three stages: latent, stable and progressive. Before you have a baby, you need to check with all doctors, including a nephrologist. If a woman has creatinine at a stable or progressive level, then pregnancy is worth the wait. Otherwise, there will be a lot of complications, including fetal malformations and severe maternal anemia.

Diet

If the doctor diagnosed chronic renal failure, then the patient needs to immediately tune in to limit his desires in food. This is due to the fact that some products have a negative effect on the kidneys, which complicates an already serious disease. Protein should be consumed in moderation, preferring milk.

Meat and fish can be eaten, but preferably in boiled form. It is not recommended to fry meat, it is better to bake or stew it. This method allows you to remove or at least reduce the amount of extractive substances. Cottage cheese, eggs, cereals, legumes, cheese, nuts and cocoa can be eaten, but very rarely and in small portions. The same can be said for potatoes, bananas, meat and fish.

Products containing essential oils should be excluded from the diet. These include onions, garlic, all herbs in their pure form. Potassium-containing vegetables and fruits can be consumed in small quantities.

The attending physician will tell you more about the diet for chronic renal failure, because each case is individual. I must say that such therapy is prescribed only in the early stages of the disease, then it will be too late. If you adhere to proper nutrition, you can reduce the level of intoxication and slow down the development of chronic renal failure.

CRF treatment

Therapy for this disease is prescribed taking into account the identified stage of the disease and the presence of other ailments. Treatment methods are directly dependent on this. The initial stage often proceeds imperceptibly, it is extremely rare to detect the disease. Accordingly, at this stage, therapy is absent.

The disease in most cases is detected at a compensated stage and then intensive treatment immediately begins, possibly with surgical intervention. At this stage, the task is to transfer the disease back to the initial level and there it will finally get rid of it. If no measures are taken, then the disease will go to the next stage, where it will be even more difficult to cope with it.

The intermittent stage is characterized by high risks, so surgery is not performed here. In this case, detoxification therapy is used. The operation can only be performed if the kidney function is restored.

If the disease progresses strongly and has already passed to the terminal stage, then treatment should be carried out very carefully and carefully. At the moment, we are talking about human life, so the burden of responsibility lies with the doctors. A carefully planned treatment regimen, which the patient will fully adhere to, is able to cope with the disease. However, this requires a lot of work to be done on both sides.

Therapies

It has already been said above that chronic renal failure is such a disease in which the performance of the kidneys is impaired due to the death of nephrons. In order to prevent this event, it is recommended to carry out the following treatment:

• remove the load from those nephrons that are still functioning in normal mode;
• strengthen the immune system to prevent the penetration of nitrogenous toxins into the body;
• adjust electrolyte balance;
• purify blood by peritoneal dialysis.

Some doctors recommend using physiotherapy. With its help, you can speed up the process of removing nitrogenous slag from the body. It is especially useful in this case to take infrared baths or visit a sanatorium.

Sometimes in the course of the disease an excess of potassium is detected. It can be removed with a cleansing enema or after taking laxatives. Due to this, the concentration of trace elements in the intestine decreases.

If the above methods do not help, then the doctor has to switch to peritoneal dialysis. It is prescribed for those patients who have a very severe form of the disease. The process is as follows: a special drug is injected into the abdominal cavity of the patient by catheter. After it is saturated with decay products, it is taken back. This procedure can be carried out at home, but a professional should do this.

Kidney transplant

There are cases when even dialysis cannot help a person, and then specialists are forced to take extreme measures. A kidney transplant is a radical solution to the problem of chronic renal failure. The code for this disease in the international classifier of diseases is No. 18.9. It is worth noting that the ailments there are located from the very first stage to the most severe. No. 18.9 is the latest code for kidney disease.

It should be noted that most patients resort to this method, since they discover pathology too late. The operation is carried out in special nephrology centers. Kidney transplantation can only be performed by a highly qualified surgeon. The main problem is finding a donor, sometimes this process lasts for decades. After a successful operation, the patient should take hormones and cytostatics until the end of his life. There are times when a new kidney does not take root, and then repeated surgical intervention is necessary.

In order to prevent such a development of events, you should carefully monitor your health and, in the event of any suspicious symptoms, consult a doctor. Timely diagnosis can save a person’s life, therefore it is recommended to approach health problems with all seriousness.

Home treatment

With a diagnosis of chronic renal failure, patients spend most of their time at home. Staying in a hospital is necessary in case of surgical intervention and in the last stages of the disease. In other situations, a person can be at home, regularly fulfilling the requirements of the attending physician and visiting him regularly.

To remove the load from intact nephrons, you must follow certain requirements:

• refuse drugs that have a toxic effect on the kidneys;
• minimize physical activity, but do not completely abandon them;
• sources of the disease should be identified and eliminated in a timely manner;
• it is recommended to take medications that can remove toxins from the body;
• stick to a diet (relevant in the initial stages of the disease).

Disability in chronic renal failure

To get a disability group in chronic renal failure, you need to go through a medical commission, based on the conclusion of which a decision will be made. A patient will be recognized as able-bodied if he has one of the first three stages of the disease. In this case, the person has minor damage to the internal organs, the symptoms are pronounced, but not much. Such patients are transferred to easy labor and a third group of disability is prescribed.

If a person has a terminal stage of chronic renal failure with significant violations of the internal organs, then a second disability group is assigned to him. The ability to work and serve himself in everyday life is preserved. The first group is assigned only to those whose terminal stage of the disease is caused by complications, and a kidney transplant operation has occurred. Such people in everyday life need the help of another person.

In this article, we talked a lot about CRF: what it is, why the disease occurs, what symptoms appear and how to cure the pathology. Health cannot be bought for money, so do not be lazy to undergo a comprehensive medical examination once every six months. Remember that the sooner a disease is discovered, the easier it will be to deal with it.