Renal Failure (Kidney Failure); Symptoms, Diagnosis and Management

Diagnosis

Before treating renal failure, doctors should evaluate different aspects of the disease:

• Chronicity: In other words, when did this problem start. This is determined by the patient’s symptoms, skin pigmentation, hypertensive fundal changes in the eyes, and some urine and blood measurements, including creatinine and blood urea nitrogen.
• Glomerular filtration rate: This measures how effective the kidneys are at filtrating urine. This test should always be repeated after two weeks and then every three months after the initial diagnosis.
• Proteinuria: This is the elimination of proteins through the urine. Patients with proteinuria may require special treatment to recover their blood albumin levels.
• Kidney imaging studies: There are different imaging studies with valuable information about the patient. For example, ultrasound scans detect a reduction of cortical thickness, scars, and other kidney problems. Doppler ultrasounds evaluate the blood flow to the kidneys. A tomography is helpful to diagnose an obstruction in the ureters. Angiographies are useful to assess aneurysms and blood vessel irregularities.