At the International Aging Summit in London last month, kidney disease and failure was a hot topic because an increasing number of seniors are affected worldwide, and adults over the age of eighty-five are the fastest growing demographic around the globe. With age comes the natural degradation of certain body systems, one of which is the renal system. The renal system, to which the kidney are the conductors, filters out waste from the blood stream, excretes it through the ureters and it exits via the urethra in the form of urine. This system is vital to the maintenance of healthy cells, particularly for the cardiovascular and digestive systems, and it affects the entire body.
Those at highest risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD) and eventually, kidney failure, are genetically predisposed to the condition, or have been exposed to lifelong cardiovascular risk factors like high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, poor dietary habits and low levels of exercise. Those who have CKD often develop more rapid sarcopenia, or muscle deterioration, than aging adults without CKD—though as the body ages this weakening of muscle tissue is inevitable. Malnutrition and weight loss are other harmful side effects of CKD, which lead to decreased cognitive and physical functioning, and an overall decline in quality of life.
Sometimes kidney disease can be an unavoidable part of aging. However, like with many diseases, a lifelong habit of physical activity, proper hydration, and good nutrition can help prevent it and treat it, too. It is important to know the signs of kidney failure, especially if you are a caregiver for someone with dementia, who might not be able to monitor their health as well as they used to. Particularly in older women, who are more susceptible to bladder infections and—if not caught—kidney infections, it is important to get regular blood work completed. In the lab, an indicator that something needs to be looked at often shows up as BUN: Blood Urea Nitrogen, a test which indicates if there are appropriate levels of nitrogen in the blood, which indicates how well the kidneys are filtering waste.
Some signs of kidney failure are:
- Increased thirst
- Frequent fatigue
- Excessive need to urinate but with decreased urine output
- Skin rashes (caused from build-up of impurities in blood)
- Blood in the urine
- Shortness of breath (as body carries toxins in blood as well as oxygen)
- Swelling of extremities
by Michelle Kicherer of www.BananaPitch.com