What Causes Atrophic Kidney?
Atrophic kidney is a term used when the size of the kidney becomes small due
to any kidney disease or due to non functioning kidney. An atrophic kidney is
very diminutive in size. It may be due to impairment of blood supply to the
kidney or damage to the functioning units of ‘nephrons’. Following are the
conditions that can cause shrinkage of the kidney, in other words kidney
atrophy.
Long standing kidney infections such as pyelonephritis, poly cystic kidney,
and other chronic renal diseases that can affect the nephrons.
Renal Ischemia; it occurs payable when there is less circulation of blood to
the kidneys. Inadequate circulation of blood may decrease the oxygen supply to
the kidney. This may affect the kidney function and cause atrophy. The reason
for ischemia as a result of atherosclerosis (narrowing of the artery due to
accumulation of fat in its wall) of the renal artery.
Blockage of the renal artery as a result of a blood clot.
Reflux nephropathy.
Damage to the renal parenchyma as a result of obstruction in the urinary
system.
Compression of blood vessels as a result of renal cyst.
Pain while passing urine, pain in the abdomen, blood in urine, increased
frequency to urinate are some of the symptoms of renal atrophy.
Treatment And Removal Of Atrophic Kidney
Atrophic kidney can be singular or bilateral. It depends on what the cause
is. When a person is diagnosed with atrophic kidney the first thing the doctor
wants to find out is how much is the kidney functioning. At this stage, it is
not important to know the size of the the kidney and the percentage of its
function left. If the kidney is completely non functional as a consequence of
complete damage to the kidney, there is no other option left but to remove the
non functional kidney.
However, when the kidney is found to be functioning even at its minimum, all
attempts are made to revitalize the kidney function. In the the case of urinary
tract infection that is responsible for kidney atrophy, necessary medications
are administered to reverse the bad kidney function. If the patient is affected
by kidney failure due to chronic kidney disease he may require undergoing
dialysis. There may be a need for renal transplant in the future.
Few lifestyle changes can help reduce the chances of atrophic kidney.
Excessive use of alcohol can play a spoilsport in kidney problems. Therefore, if
a person is suffering from kidney disease he should stop alcohol consumption. If
you are suffering from renal failure, you should ask your doctor regarding the
intake of fluid and water. Also you should consume less amount of salt. Do not
steal any medication without consulting your doctor.
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