DIET THERAPY FOR PEOPLE WITH KIDNEY DISEASES: URINARY CALCULI Most kidney stones contain calcium as calcium carbonate, phosphate, or oxalate. There are also uric acid stones and cystine stones. Some stones dissolve in acid and some in alkali. Medications are usually prescribed to increase the acidity or alkalinity of the urine. Diet alone does not [...]

DIET THERAPY: FOOD LISTS AND MEAL PLANS IN RENAL FAILURE A protein-free electrolyte-free diet may be used for a few days if the patient is anuric. This supplies sufficient calories to prevent tissue breakdown. Calories are furnished by hard candies and butter balls consisting of a mixture of butter and sugar flavored to improve palatability. [...]

DIET THERAPY AND KIDNEY DISEASES: PLANNING NUTRIENT LEVELS IN RENAL FAILURE The diet in renal failure is planned individually for each patient. It takes into account the symptoms, the blood levels of urea and electrolytes, and the nutritional status. Laboratory studies from time to time determine whether the diet needs to be adjusted for one [...]

KIDNEY DISEASES: CLINICAL FINDINGS FOR RENAL FAILURE Renal failure indicates that the kidneys are no longer able to fulfill their functions adequately. Uremia refers to the retention of urea and other constituents in the blood together with the pattern of symptoms that accompany such retention. Azotemia refers specifically to the accumulation of nitrogenous constituents in [...]

DIET THERAPY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISEASES OF THE KIDNEY: NEPHROSIS The nephrotic syndrome includes lipoid nephrosis, a rare disease in young children, and the nephrotic phase in some patients with glomerulonephritis. The symptoms characteristic of this syndrome include severe edema, heavy albuminuria, very low serum proteins – especially albumin, high serum lipids – especially cholesterol, [...]

DISEASES OF THE KIDNEY: NEPHRITIS Acute glomerulonephritis (inflammation of the glomeruli) frequently follows a streptococcic infection of the respiratory tract or scarlet fever. It is seen most often in children or young adults. During the acute stage of the illness, there is nausea, vomiting, fever, hypertension, hematuria, and oliguria. The appetite is usually very poor [...]

FUNCTIONS OF THE KIDNEY The overall function of the kidneys is to maintain the normal composition and volume of the blood. This is accomplished by four interrelated activities. (1) Wastes of metabolism are excreted. These include urea, uric acid, creatinine ammonia, sulfates and other products of metabolism, and toxic substances. (2) The amounts of fluid [...]

STRUCTURAL UNITS OF THE KIDNEY There are about one million working units called nephrons in each kidney. Each nephron consists of a tuft of capillaries known as the glomerulus attached to a long winding tubule that empties into collecting tubules. The glomerulus filters the blood that circulates through it. Water together with glucose, amino acids, [...]