Page 22 - DemoFlorida Sentinel 3-5-21

Health
Lungs
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 inflammation and scar- ring of the small blood vessels that filter waste out of your kid- neys, and sometimes in your kidneys as well. It’s treated with different medications: Some af- fect your immune system, while others help control your blood pressure or get rid of swelling and excess fluid.
High Blood Pressure
If the force of blood flow through your body is too high, it can stretch and scar -- and weaken -- your blood vessels, in- cluding the ones in your kid- neys. This can keep them from getting rid of waste the way they should, and the extra fluid in your blood vessels can raise your blood pressure even more, lead- ing to a dangerous cycle. It’s treated with medication and changes to things like your diet, exercise habits, and stress level.
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 en- larged prostate, prostate cancer, kidney stones, bladder cancer, urinary tract blood clots, and colon cancer are some of the things 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.
Diabetes
This leading cause of kidney failure damages the organs’ small blood vessels and filters. That makes it difficult for them to clean your blood. Your body holds on to more salt and water than it should, and there’s more waste in your system. Nerve damage caused by the disease can make urine back up and harm your kidneys through pressure or infection.
If you have too much bad cholesterol, it can build up in the vessels that carry blood into and out of your kidneys, and that can affect how well they work. It also makes you more likely to have high blood pressure and dia- betes. A blood test can tell you if your cholesterol level is too high.
Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome
This happens when small blood vessels in the kidney and other organs get damaged. That can eventually cause kidney fail- ure. It happens after 5 to 10 days of diarrhea, usually brought on by an infection, like from E. coli bacteria, or certain medications. Most people recover if it’s treated quickly. See your doctor if you have several days of diar- rhea, aren’t peeing often, and are very tired. You also may get bruises or unusual bleeding.
This is when your own anti- bodies -- which usually fight germs -- attack the small blood vessels in your kidneys and other organs. It may lead to blood and protein in your urine and can cause kidney failure. You may have fever, body aches, joint and muscle pain, and brown, tea-colored pee.
Multiple Myeloma
Urine Blockage
High Cholesterol
ANCA Vasculitis
This kind of cancer involves the 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 proteins that can cause kidney problems. More than half the people with multi- ple myeloma also end up with kidney problems.
Blood Clots
Many conditions can cause blood clots, but a blood disorder -- thrombotic thrombocytopenic 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, con- fusion, headache, bruising, and feeling very tired. It can be seri- ous if it’s not treated quickly, so see a doctor if you have any of these signs.
PAGE 10-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021