5 symptoms indicate that your kidneys are sick

If the human body is compared to a functioning company, the kidneys are definitely the good employees who work silently and without complaint. Two fist-sized kidneys filter and clean 200 liters of blood every day, which is equivalent to the amount of 10 barrels of drinking water! In addition, the kidneys have the characteristic of "not leaving the front line even with minor injuries." Not only do the kidneys have a huge compensatory function, but the symptoms after a disease occurs are often very hidden, so much so that they are ignored by many patients, who then suffer unbearable pain when the disease deteriorates to the terminal stage.

However, there are still some clues suggesting that your kidneys need "maintenance." Associate Professor Zhang Luxia from the Department of Nephrology at Peking University First Hospital reminds you not to ignore these distress signals from your kidneys.

1. Changes in urine volume

A normal person urinates 1000-2000 ml of urine per day, with an average of 1500 ml. Whether the amount of urine increases or decreases, it may be a manifestation of kidney disease. Especially for normal people, who rarely urinate at night, if you find that you have to get up several times at night and do not drink much water before going to bed, you should be more alert to kidney disease.

2. Changes in urine characteristics

The normal urine color is transparent light yellow. If you drink less water or urinate for the first time in the morning, the color will be slightly darker. If your urine is red or contains a lot of foam, you should go to the nephrology department for a check-up.

3. Edema

The kidneys are the organs that metabolize water in the human body. If the kidneys are not healthy, water will accumulate. Some people find that their eyelids, or feet and legs are swollen when they wake up in the morning. They should consider kidney problems.

4. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and vomiting

When kidney disease develops to the terminal stage, it will affect gastrointestinal function, leading to symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Therefore, if these symptoms occur, in addition to seeing a gastroenterologist, you should also pay attention to ruling out kidney disease.

5. Itchy skin

For patients with end-stage renal disease, urea in the body cannot be excreted through urine and will be excreted through the skin, thereby irritating the skin. In addition, toxins accumulated in the body can lead to peripheral neuropathy and also cause skin itching.

Some of the above signs of kidney disease occur in the early stages, while others are already manifestations of the late stages. Therefore, it is not enough to rely solely on symptoms to judge whether your kidneys are healthy.

5 behaviors that damage your kidneys

Focusing on kidney tonification but ignoring kidney health

Nourishing the kidneys is a health concept advocated by many people, and many people think that nourishing the kidneys means nourishing the kidneys. "This is a misunderstanding," said Shi Wei, director of the Department of Nephrology at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital. The "kidney" referred to in traditional Chinese medicine is a functional concept that includes the comprehensive functions of the reproductive system, endocrine system and urinary system in modern medicine. The "kidney" referred to in modern medicine refers to the real kidneys. The kidneys are responsible for removing toxins, waste and excess water from the body. In addition, it also helps the body control blood pressure, regulate electrolyte concentrations, produce red blood cells, etc. Once kidney function is damaged, it is mostly irreversible.

Therefore, it is dangerous to focus only on kidney tonification while neglecting kidney health. Instead of replenishing your kidneys frequently, it is better to protect your kidneys well.

Excessive intake of protein from fish and meat

Protein is an essential nutrient for the human body, and it is right to pay attention to protein intake, but this does not mean "the more high-protein food you eat, the better." Healthy people can get enough protein every day through a balanced diet. But nowadays, many people in the workplace often socialize and eat a lot of meat and fish, which leads to excessive protein intake. Director Shi Wei reminds that long-term high-protein intake will increase the burden on the kidneys and even cause the kidneys to be in an "overloaded" state for a long time. For people with impaired renal function, protein intake must be strictly controlled. They must consult a nephrologist and develop a diet under the guidance of a nutritionist.

In addition, I would like to remind everyone that protein is not limited to eggs and milk. Various meats, seafood and beans all contain high levels of protein. When you are keen on eating high-protein foods or blindly supplement high-protein nutrients, be careful not to damage your kidneys.

Not drinking enough water and often holding urine for too long

Many people often hold their urine because they are too busy at work. However, they do not know that holding urine for too long can easily lead to increased bladder pressure, bladder pressure reflex disorder and decreased detrusor function, or affect the ureter-bladder anti-reflux mechanism, causing urine reflux, which can easily lead to complications of pyelonephritis and renal damage. Therefore, no matter how busy you are at work, don't forget to go to the toilet on time.

In addition, many people are too busy with work to drink water. If you don't drink enough water, your urine volume will naturally decrease, and the concentration of waste and toxins carried in your urine will increase. Common kidney stones in clinical practice are closely related to lack of water intake for a long time. Director Shi emphasized that we should develop the habit of drinking plenty of water, ensuring at least 8 large cups of boiled water every day (note: do not replace it with beverages). Drinking more water can dilute urine, allowing it to be excreted quickly, which helps prevent stones.

Salty diet makes it difficult to excrete water

95% of the salt in our diet is metabolized by the kidneys. If we eat too much salt, the burden on the kidneys will naturally increase. In addition, the sodium in salt makes it difficult for the body to excrete water, which further increases the burden on the kidneys and leads to decreased kidney function. At the same time, eating too much salt can cause high blood pressure, and the kidneys cannot maintain normal blood flow, thus inducing kidney disease. It is recommended to control daily salt intake to less than 6 grams.

Drug abuse can cause serious damage to the kidneys

"In the Department of Nephrology, examples of renal failure caused by improper use of medication are not uncommon, which cannot but arouse people's vigilance." Shi Wei pointed out that many people think that Chinese herbal medicines have no toxic side effects, which is a huge misunderstanding. There are more and more reports about Chinese herbal medicines causing kidney damage. Among them, Aristolochia, Cantharides, Tripterygium wilfordii, Gelsemium elegans, Aralia strychnifolia, Aristolochia australis, Sophora flavescens, Fish Gallbladder, and Alisma orientalis are the most nephrotoxic. The dosage and indications of these drugs should be strictly controlled.