Page 20 - Florida Sentinel 10-26-18

Health
Blood Clots
Many conditions can cause blood clots, but one blood dis- order -- thrombotic thrombo- cytopenic purpura -- is commonly linked to kidney problems. It causes clots in tiny blood vessels that also can affect your brain and heart. Symptoms include fever, bleeding from your nose or gums, diarrhea, chest pain, confusion, headache, bruising,
and feeling very tired. It can be serious if it’s not treated quickly, so see your doctor if you have any of these signs.
Polycystic Kidney Disease
This causes cysts -- small sores, often filled with fluid -- to grow inside your kidneys. That makes them much larger than they should be and damages their tissue. It’s caused by prob- lem genes you get from one of your parents. If it’s not diagnosed and managed soon enough, it can lead to chronic kidney disease and, eventually, to end-stage renal disease.
Anorexia Nervosa
People who have this have an unrealistic body image, and they don’t eat enough to stay at a healthy weight (they weigh at least 15% less than they should). That can lead to a lack of water and salt in the body, which can cause chronic kidney disease and, even- tually, kidney failure. This is especially true for people who binge-eat and purge (vomit or use laxa- tives) to get rid of calo- ries.
Multiple Myeloma
This kind of cancer attacks white blood cells (plasma) that help you fight infection. The cancer cells build up in your bone marrow, where they crowd out healthy blood cells and make abnormal pro- teins that can cause kidney
problems. More than half the people with multiple myeloma also end up with kidney problems.
Scleroderma
This is a group of rare dis- eases that make your skin and connective tissues hard and tight. It can sometimes also harm other things, like blood vessels and organs. If it affects your kidneys and they don’t work the way they should, they can let protein escape through your urine. It also can cause a sudden increase in blood pres- sure that can lead to rapid kid- ney failure.
Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome
This happens when damaged red blood cells clog the kidneys’ fil- tering system -- and that can even- tually cause kidney failure. It happens after 5 to 10 days of diar- rhea, usually brought on by an in- fection, like from E. coli bacteria, or certain medications. Most people fully recover if it’s treated quickly enough. See your doctor if you have several days of diarrhea, aren’t pee- ing often, and are very tired. You also may have unexplained bruises or unusual bleeding.
Urine Blockage
If you can’t pee, that can mean urine is backed up, and that can damage your kidneys. It can cause pressure and lead to infection in your kidneys and other parts of your body. An enlarged prostate, prostate cancer, kidney stones, bladder cancer, blood clots in your urinary tract, and colon cancer are some of the conditions that can cause this. See your doctor if you’re peeing much less or much more often than usual, or if you see blood in your urine.
Lupus
This is a disease that makes your immune system attack certain parts of your body -- when it affects your kidneys, it’s called lupus nephritis. It causes inflamma- tion and scarring of the small blood vessels that filter waste out of your kidneys, and some- times in your kidneys as well. It’s treated with different med- ications: Some affect your im- mune system, while others help control your blood pres- sure or get rid of swelling and excess fluid.
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