World Kidney Day 2021 is being celebrated today – March 11, 2021 across the world on the theme Living Well with Kidney Disease. Proper kidney function is essential for a healthy and long life. Disease of the organ can lead to serious health concerns. Hence, as we check our wait, so we should make measures to keep our kidneys in good health. And first step for that is understanding the function of kidney and the first symptoms of a kidney disease.
On this World Kidney Day, here is a quick look what is the function of kidney in our body. We also understand how to identify the first signs of kidney disease.
What is Kidney Function?
Kidneys are the filters of your body. In the simplest manner of understanding, kidneys filter out the toxins from your blood and throw then out in the form of urine from your body. So, basically the organ has the function of filtration and excretion.
While filtering the blood, the job of kidney is to remove the toxic substances and waste products, excess salts and returning essential vitamins, amino acids, glucose and hormones to the blood. So how does it impact your health?
Kidney’s filtration helps in managing water and mineral levels in your body. Waste products and toxins, excess minerals can cause various issues, water retention and even impact your heart function. A kidney not functioning properly may lead to loss of essential minerals and nutrients from your body or build up of toxins in your blood that may cause damage to other organs of the body.
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First Symptoms of Kidney Disease
Urine is the best measure of a well working kidney. This includes the colour and output. Decreased output or excessive urination, smelly urine or cloudy urine could be a sign of problems in your kidney. In acute conditions of kidney failure, people might also witness excessive fluid retention in the body (swollen feat and ankles), shortness of breath.
What is important to note is that people may not notice most of the symptoms. Sometimes, the urine output may remain normal or could be varied because of other factors like an infectious disease, excessive water intake, diabetes, pregnancy and so on. So how do we keep a check on our kidney?
The answer is regular health checkups. It is wise to include a Kidney Function Test in your annual health check ups and refer to a physician for the same. Meanwhile, for better kidney health, ensure that are drinking enough water. Also, foods like red bell peppers, garlic, onions, cranberries and blueberries, kidney beans all help in good kidney health. In short, ensure a balanced diet with a healthy intake of vegetables and fruits to ensure that you have a healthy kidney.
Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purpose only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a dietician before starting any fitness programme or making any changes to your diet.
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