Kidney Disease Treatment: What Causes Kidney Failure?

The final—and most severe—stage of chronic kidney disease is essentially the failure of the kidneys, which can also be referred to as end-stage renal disease—ESRD, for short. As an individual undergoes kidney disease treatment, such as dialysis, it can be helpful to be familiar with the various factors that can result in acute rental failure, which is sudden failure of the kidneys, and ESRD, which is the failure of the kidneys that occurs over an extended period of time.  Below you will learn about three of the most common causes of renal kidney failure in patients who are undergoing kidney disease treatment.

1. Diabetes

Diabetes is considered the most common cause of end-stage renal disease. Individuals who are living with diabetes often deal with too-high blood glucose levels. For a patient with chronic kidney disease, high blood glucose levels make the kidneys work much harder than necessary to filter the blood. This extra work is hard on the organs, and it often results in the filters in the kidneys leaking. In some cases, this can result in the initial disease, and sooner or later, failure.

2. High Blood Pressure

Another cause of end-stage renal disease is high blood pressure. Due to the fact that the kidneys are an essential part of a huge system, they need a significant amount of blood to function properly. Over time, the arteries around the kidneys can become damaged as a result of high blood pressure, causing them to become narrow, weak, or even hard. When this happens, the damaged arteries are unable to supply the proper amount of blood to the organs, which ultimately causes the kidneys to fail.

3. Autoimmune Disease

A third cause of end-stage renal disease is autoimmune diseases like lupus. The symptoms that accompany these diseases will vary depending on the disease, but severe damage occurs nonetheless. For instance, with lupus, thrombosis can occur. Thrombosis is a clot that occurs inside a blood vessel that prohibits the proper flow of blood. Eventually, this will cause significant damage—similar to the way that high blood pressure does.

If you have been diagnosed with a kidney problem, it is imperative that you seek kidney disease treatment. If your kidneys have gone into failure, kidney failure treatment can help. It is important to understand that end-stage renal disease is not always permanent as kidney failure treatment can control the problem and get your kidneys back to normal. For more information, reach out to a professional.