Overview
Kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist that is located just below the rib cage, one on each side of the spine. The main function of kidneys is to remove wastes, extra fluid, and acid that is produced by the cells of the body to maintain a healthy balance of water, salts, and minerals, such as sodium, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium in the blood. Without this balance, nerves, muscles, and other tissues may not work normally.
Nephrology is a branch of medicine that deals with the diagnoses, treatment, and management of kidney functions and renal or kidney replacement therapy, such as dialysis and kidney transplantation.
Healthcare practitioners who specialize in nephrology are known as nephrologists. Kidney disease can develop from existing health issues such as:
- diabetes
- obesity
- heart disease
- high blood pressure.
It is often seen that patients collect information about their issues through the internet which results in lethal outcomes since the information has no basis whatsoever. Providing Health, disease or any medical treatment-related information is the responsibility of a doctor, to ensure that the patient understands what the procedure is for and the patient agrees to it. The hindrance of providing clear information can easily be solved via high-quality Videos and Animations which acts as a common bridge between a doctor and their patients. It is proven that Visuals are a more efficient way to convey health or disease-related information by a practitioner to their patients.
What is the importance of Nephrology Videos?
A Nephrologist is a specialist with excellence in the diagnosis, treatment, and proper functioning of kidneys. Not only do nephrologists have expertise on diseases that specifically affect the kidney, but they’re also very knowledgeable about how kidney disease or dysfunction can affect other parts of your body.
While consultation, it is often seen that the practitioner and the patient tend to be not on the same page, meaning the information that the practitioner provides is often misunderstood by the patients which creates a knowledge barrier between the both.
Many conditions require a nephrologist who suggests various procedures to treat the same and surgeries if required. Some of the common conditions, tests, and procedures are as follows:
- Conditions
- Chronic Urinary Tract Infections – urinary tract infections (UTI) are some of the common infections that took place in the urinary tract. Whereas a chronic urinary tract infection is a condition in which a person experiences UTI frequently. Due to the increased frequency of UTIs, the risk of the infection reaching the kidneys increases exponentially. This also puts an increased risk of developing kidney disease, permanent kidney damage, or even kidney failure. Chronic UTI symptoms, especially blood in the urine, fever, and fatigue, can also indicate the early stages of bladder cancer or kidney cancer.
- Recurring Kidney Stones – Kidney stones are small mineral or salt-based deposits inside the kidneys, which cause a lot of pain whilst passing through the urinary tract. The reason behind multiple kidney stones is that the kidneys are not likely filtering the waste properly and are letting deposits accumulate. Development of kidney stones that begin to block glomerular filtration, a part of the urination process which lowers the filtration rate. The kidneys start damaging if any obstruction occurs which ultimately leads to chronic kidney disease.
- Foamy Urine – when the kidneys don’t function properly, urine becomes Foamy or bubbly which means that there is a protein in the urine. This condition, called proteinuria, can happen from several causes, some being relatively harmless and others more likely to cause kidney damage. Urine normally has a bit of protein waste in it, but this protein will pass unnoticed. Only when high amounts of protein begin to form foamy or bubbly while urinating. This protein spillover can accompany other symptoms like muscle cramping, shortness of breath, and tiredness, and may indicate more moderate stages of chronic kidney disease or early kidney failure.
- Itchy Skin and Joint or Bone Pain – If a person is experiencing bone and joint pain along with itchy skin, this might be a condition of renal bone disease, also known as mineral and bone disorder. This condition can occur alongside kidney disease, and it happens when the kidneys can’t maintain the amount of calcium and phosphorus bones need. If untreated, this condition can lead to weakened bones, and heart and blood vessel problems.
- Tests
- Blood Tests –
- Glomerular filtration rate – This test measures how well a person’s kidneys are filtering the blood. GFR begins to decrease below normal levels in the case of kidney disease.
- Serum creatinine – Creatinine is a waste product and is present at higher levels in the blood of people who have kidney dysfunction.
- Blood Tests –
- Blood urea nitrogen – As with creatinine, finding high levels of this waste product in the blood is a sign of kidney dysfunction.
- Urine Tests –
- Urinalysis – This urine sample can be tested with a dipstick for pH as well as the presence of abnormal amounts of blood, glucose, protein, or bacteria.
- Albumin/creatinine ratio – This urine test measures the amount of the protein albumin in the urine. Albumin in the urine is a sign of kidney dysfunction.
- 24-hour urine collection – This method uses a special container to collect all of the urine that a human produces during 24 hours. Further testing can be performed on this sample.
- Creatinine clearance – This is a measure of creatinine from both a blood sample and a 24-hour urine sample that’s used to calculate the amount of creatinine that’s exited the blood and moved to the urine.
- Procedure
- In addition to reviewing and interpreting the results of the laboratory tests, a nephrologist may also perform or work with other specialists on the following procedures:
- imaging tests of the kidneys, such as ultrasounds, CT scans, or X-rays to verify if there is any blockage or abnormality in the pathway from the kidneys to the bladder.
- dialysis, including placement of the dialysis catheter, is done when kidneys partially or fully stopped working and a regular filtration of the blood is required
- In addition to reviewing and interpreting the results of the laboratory tests, a nephrologist may also perform or work with other specialists on the following procedures:
- kidney biopsies are done to check whether the patient is suffering from kidney cancer or not
- kidney transplants are done to the patients who are relatively young and have numbers of years ahead but their kidneys have stopped working completely
Consultation done via nephrology videos or animations about various conditions increases patient engagement and knowledge about what can be expected during a medical procedure. Patients feel embarrassed about asking questions like how the procedure will be done, what it will look like, what are the precautions to be taken, why medicine has been prescribed, what side effects to look out for, and what to do if you are experiencing problems. At the time of consultation, important and yet complex medical-related information may take time to understand fully, even for patients with good health literacy.
Good communication with a practitioner makes it more understandable for patients to benefit from their treatment and helps to ensure the best-suited treatment for them which can be done by consulting via nephrology education videos.
