Chronic Kidney Disease (Elevated Urea Creatinine)

Chronic kidney disease is a common health problem in Turkey as well as in the world. Chronic kidney disease may be associated with dialysis patients. In fact, dialysis patients comprise the part above water of the iceberg, which is the problem of chronic kidney disease. 



CREDIT study 2009 of Turkish Society of Nephrology shows that 16% of the adults in Turkey have chronic kidney disease. With a simple calculation, this ratio indicates that there are about 7.5 million chronic kidney patients (one in every 6-7 adults) in Turkey. It has an insidious progress so it is difficult to diagnose it early.  

The most common causes of renal failure in Turkey are diabetes, high blood pressure and nephritis. Various diseases of the urinary tract (narrowing of the urinary tract, escaping of urine from urinary bladder upwards to the kidney) can lead to kidney failure.
 

Symptoms

The first noticeable symptom is getting up at night to urinate. Getting up at night to urinate without taking much fluids before going to bed may be the first signs of renal failure. However, if the person has any of the following symptoms, they may have chronic kidney disease.

• Hypertension
• Blood in urine/urine with tea color
• Foamy urine
• Cloudy urine
• Pain during urination
• Frequent urination
• Strong urge to go to the toilet
• Difficulty in urination
• Slow urination
• Passing gravel
• Stone disease
• Getting up at night to urinate
• Chest/back pain
• Swelling of ankles
• Swelling of the face

As the diseases progresses, it may cause bone diseases because of decreased vitamin D production and anemia because of decreased erythropoietin related to blood production. Anemia may also be the first symptom of renal failure just like getting up at night to urinate. It may also cause hypertension.
 

Diagnosis and Treatment

Since the disease has an insidious progress in the early period, the diagnosis is sometimes made by a blood test or urinalysis by chance. Treatment varies according to the cause and degree of renal failure. Depending on the patient, dialysis and kidney transplantation are usually considered when a patient's serum creatinine level is 5-6 mg/dl. Patients with mild renal failure may not require dialysis treatment for years if they pay attention to their treatment. Therefore, early diagnosis is critical.