7 types of kidney diseases you should know

The term kidney disease refers to any disease, disorder, or condition that affects your kidneys.

The kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs on either side of your spine, below your ribs and behind your belly.

Our bodies can’t use everything we eat or drink, so some of it ends up in our blood as waste, along with other waste products that our bodies make naturally.

They filter blood and remove these waste products and excess fluid, which then leave the body as urine

Various kidney diseases

1. Alport Syndrome

Alport syndrome is a disease that damages the tiny blood vessels in your kidneys. It is a rare genetic condition characterized by kidney failure, hearing loss, and eye abnormalities.

Almost all affected individuals have blood in their urine (hematuria), which indicates abnormal functioning of the kidneys.

2. Diabetic Nephropathy

Diabetic nephropathy (diabetic kidney disease) is kidney damage that results from having diabetes. Over many years, the condition slowly damages your kidneys’ delicate filtering system.

This affects their ability  to do their usual work of removing waste products and extra fluid from your body.

3. Glomerulonephritis

This is a problem with tiny filtering units in the kidneys called glomeruli. When someone has glomerulonephritis, the glomeruli become inflamed (swollen and irritated) and the kidneys stop working properly.

This can lead to problems like too much fluid in the body, which can cause swelling in places like the face, feet, ankles, or legs.

4. IgA Nephropathy (Berger’s Disease)

This is a disorder that forms clumps of proteins inside the kidneys’ tiny filters (glomeruli). IgA is a protein that helps your body fight infections.

These clumps of proteins damage the glomeruli which can cause chronic kidney disease and can also lead to kidney failure.

5. Kidney Stones

A kidney stone forms when too much of certain minerals in your body accumulate in your urine. They are typically very painful.

When don’t drink enough water, your urine becomes more concentrated with higher levels of certain minerals. When mineral levels are higher, it’s more likely that a kidney stone will form.

6. Minimal Change Disease (MCD)

This occurs when large amounts of protein is lost in the urine. Normally, your kidneys filter blood without losing any of the proteins that are supposed to remain in circulation.

When the filters are damaged, however, protein sometimes “slips through” into the urine

7. Polycystic Kidney Disease or PKD

PKD is a genetic disorder in which the renal tubules become structurally abnormal, resulting in the development and growth of multiple cysts (clusters of fluid-filled sacs) within the kidney.

The growth of cysts causes the kidneys to become enlarged and can lead to kidney failure.

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