Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a condition in which the kidneys lose their ability to filter blood. The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs that are located just below the rib cage, on either side of the spine. They play a vital role in maintaining the body’s fluid balance and removing waste from the blood.

The most common cause of CKD is diabetes. Other causes include high blood pressure, glomerulonephritis, polycystic kidney disease, and a wide range of other diseases or conditions.

• The Impact of Chronic Kidney Disease on the African American Community:

African Americans are disproportionately affected by chronic kidney disease. Black communities are more likely to suffer from chronic illness and have a lower life expectancy.

This is partly because African Americans tend to be more resistant to the progression of chronic kidney disease and thus live with it for a longer time.

• Health Disparities Faced by (and Impacting) the African American Community:

The African American community faces several health disparities, with chronic illness being a major factor. This is a problem that affects not only the African American community but also the greater population. The prevalence of chronic illness in black communities has been linked to genetics and environmental factors and can be seen as a form of institutional racism.

In America, blacks are more likely to be diagnosed with heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and stroke than whites. They are also more likely to die from these diseases than whites. In addition to this, black mothers are three times as likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white mothers. These disparities have led many people to believe that there is an inherent bias in the health care system against people who are members of the African American community.

• Strategies for Reducing Risk Factors that Contribute to Chronic Kidney Disease in the African American Population:

In the United States, African Americans have a greater risk of developing chronic kidney disease than other populations. The risk factors for CKD in minority populations are not well understood, but some studies have identified that they may include high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity.

To reduce these risk factors, there needs to be an increase in education about the risks of CKD in minority populations. Additionally, there needs to be more research done on how these risk factors can be prevented and how this disease can be detected early on.

Dietary restrictions vary depending on the stage of kidney disease.

For instance, people with early stages of chronic kidney disease will have different dietary restrictions than those with end-stage renal disease, or kidney failure.

Those with end-stage renal disease who require dialysis will also have varying dietary restrictions. Dialysis is a type of treatment that removes extra water and filters waste.

The majority of those with late or end-stage kidney disease will need to follow a kidney-friendly diet to avoid a buildup of certain chemicals or nutrients in the blood.

In those with chronic kidney disease, the kidneys cannot adequately remove excess sodium, potassium, or phosphorus. As a result, they’re at a higher risk of elevated blood levels of these minerals.

A kidney-friendly diet, or renal diet, usually limits sodium to under 2,300 mg per day, as well as your potassium and phosphorus intake.

The National Kidney Foundation’s most recent Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) guidelines don’t set specific limits on potassium or phosphorus

Potassium and phosphorus are still a concern for people with kidney disease, but they should work closely with their doctor or dietitian to determine their limits for these nutrients, which are usually based on lab results.

Damaged kidneys may also have trouble filtering the waste products of protein metabolism. Therefore, individuals with chronic kidney disease of all stages especially stage 3–5, should limit the amount of protein in their diets unless they’re on dialysis

However, those with end-stage renal disease undergoing dialysis have an increased protein requirement

Here are 17 foods that you should likely avoid on a renal diet.

• Avocados
• Canned foods
• Whole wheat bread
• Brown rice
• Bananas
• Dairy
• Oranges and orange juice
• Pickles, olives, and relish
• Apricots
• Potatoes and sweet potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Packaged, instant, and premade meals
• Swiss chard, spinach, and beet greens
• Dates, raisins, and prunes
• Pretzels, chips, and crackers

If you have kidney disease, reducing your potassium, phosphorus, and sodium intake can be an important aspect of managing the disease.

The high sodium, high potassium, and high phosphorus foods listed above are likely best limited or avoided.

1. You’re more tired, have less energy, or are having trouble concentrating. A severe decrease in kidney function can lead to a buildup of toxins and impurities in the blood. This can cause people to feel tired, and weak and can make it hard to concentrate. Another complication of kidney disease is anemia, which can cause weakness and fatigue.
2. You’re having trouble sleeping. When the kidneys aren’t filtering properly, toxins stay in the blood rather than leaving the body through the urine. This can make it difficult to sleep. There is also a link between obesity and chronic kidney disease, and sleep apnea is more common in those with chronic kidney disease, compared with the general population.
3. You have dry and itchy skin. Healthy kidneys do many important jobs. They remove wastes and extra fluid from your body, help make red blood cells, help keep bones strong and work to maintain the right amount of minerals in your blood. Dry and itchy skin can be a sign of the mineral and bone disease that often accompanies advanced kidney disease when the kidneys are no longer able to keep the right balance of minerals and nutrients in your blood.
4. You feel the need to urinate more often. If you feel the need to urinate more often, especially at night, this can be a sign of kidney disease. When the kidney filters are damaged, it can cause an increase in the urge to urinate. Sometimes this can also be a sign of a urinary infection or enlarged prostate in men.
5. You see blood in your urine. Healthy kidneys typically keep the blood cells in the body when filtering wastes from the blood to create urine, but when the kidney’s filters have been damaged, these blood cells can start to “leak” out into the urine. In addition to signaling kidney disease, blood in the urine can be indicative of tumors, kidney stones, or an infection.
6. Your urine is foamy. Excessive bubbles in the urine – especially those that require you to flush several times before they go away—indicate protein in the urine. This foam may look like the foam you see when scrambling eggs, as the common protein found in urine, albumin, is the same protein that is found in eggs.
7. You’re experiencing persistent puffiness around your eyes. Protein in the urine is an early sign that the kidneys’ filters have been damaged, allowing the protein to leak into the urine. This puffiness around your eyes can be because your kidneys are leaking a large amount of protein in the urine, rather than keeping it in the body.
8. Your ankles and feet are swollen. Decreased kidney function can lead to sodium retention, causing swelling in your feet and ankles. Swelling in the lower extremities can also be a sign of heart disease, liver disease, and chronic leg vein problems.
9. You have a poor appetite. This is a very general symptom, but a buildup of toxins resulting from reduced kidney function can be one of the causes.
10. Your muscles are cramping. Electrolyte imbalances can result from impaired kidney function. For example, low calcium levels and poorly controlled phosphorus may contribute to muscle cramping

If you have Some Signs of Kidney Disease then contact us. Our goal at California Kidney Specialists is to prevent Chronic Kidney Disease and slow its progression to avoid the initiation of dialysis.

Part of prevention and treatment is a specific CKD diet. We work with our patients and their families to create a comprehensive plan.

Call and make an appointment today to meet one of our Nephrologists

Our Services Office Locations: Kidney treatment in San Dimas, Kidney treatment in Covina, Kidney treatment in Upland, Kidney Treatment in Pasadena

Diabetic nephropathy is a serious complication of type 1 diabetes and types 2 diabetes. It’s also called diabetic kidney disease. In the United States, about 1 in 3 people living with diabetes have diabetic nephropathy.

Diabetic nephropathy affects the kidneys’ ability to do their usual work of removing waste products and extra fluid from your body. The best way to prevent or delay diabetic nephropathy is by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and adequately managing your diabetes and high blood pressure.

Over many years, the condition slowly damages your kidneys’ delicate filtering system. Early treatment may prevent or slow the disease’s progress and reduce the chance of complications.

Kidney disease may progress to kidney failure, also called end-stage kidney disease. Kidney failure is a life-threatening condition. At this stage, treatment options are dialysis or a kidney transplant.

What Are the Symptoms of Diabetic Nephropathy?

There are often no symptoms with early diabetic nephropathy. As the kidney function worsens, symptoms may include:

• Swelling of the hands, feet, and face
• Trouble sleeping or concentrating
• Poor appetite
• Nausea
• Weakness
• Itching (end-stage kidney disease) and extremely dry skin
• Drowsiness (end-stage kidney disease)
• Abnormalities in the heart’s regular rhythm, because of increased potassium in the blood
• Muscle twitching

As kidney damage progresses, your kidneys cannot remove the waste from your blood. The waste then builds up in your body and can reach poisonous levels, a condition known as uremia. People with uremia are often confused and occasionally become comatose.

Diabetic nephropathy is a reliable cause of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). In ESRD, the kidneys no longer work well to meet the needs of daily life. ESRD can lead to kidney failure, which can have life-threatening consequences. Our CKS Nephrologists will work with our patients and their families to develop a comprehensive treatment plan that includes dietary counseling, exercise, and medication to improve blood sugar control.

How is diabetic nephropathy treated?

In the early stages of diabetic nephropathy, your treatment plan may include medications to manage the following: Blood pressure control. Medications called angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin 2 receptor blockers (ARBs) are used to treat high blood pressure. Blood sugar control

Get Diabetic nephropathy treatment at our San Dimas, Covina, Pasadena, Upland & Ontario Clinics. Please call to make an appointment: California Kidney Specialists

What is a kidney transplant?

A kidney transplant is surgery done to replace a diseased kidney with a healthy kidney from a donor. The kidney may come from a deceased organ donor or a living donor. Family members or others who are a good match may be able to donate one of their kidneys. This type of transplant is called a living transplant.

What are the reasons for a kidney transplant?

You may need a kidney transplant if you have the end-stage renal disease (ESRD). This is a permanent condition of kidney failure. It often needs dialysis. This is a process used to remove wastes and other substances from the blood.

Complications of the procedure

Kidney transplant surgery carries a risk of significant complications, including:

• Blood clots and bleeding
• Leaking from or blockage of the tube that links the kidney to the bladder (ureter)
• Infection
• Failure or rejection of the donated kidney
• An infection or cancer that can be passed on from the donated kidney
• Death, heart attack, and stroke

Anti-rejection medication side effects

After a kidney transplant, you’ll take medications to help prevent your body from rejecting the donor’s kidney. These medications can cause a variety of side effects, including:

• Bone thinning and bone damage
• Diabetes
• The excessive hair growth or hair loss
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol

Other side effects may include:

• Increased risk of cancer, particularly skin cancer and lymphoma
• Infection
• Puffiness
• Weight gain
• Acne

How do you prepare your body for a kidney transplant?

1. Stop smoking. Kick the habit at least 4 weeks before your surgery. …
2. Ask your doctor about medicines. You’ll need to avoid drugs like aspirin, ibuprofen, and blood thinners for a week before your surgery. …
3. Take this time to do the things you enjoy.

If you do decide to have a kidney transplant, you’ll need to work closely with a nephrologist who is associated with an accredited kidney transplant program with good patient outcomes

Kidney transplantation is an excellent choice. Just be sure to work with a team that has enthusiasm and passion, who is involved in active research, and who has an active database to connect you with the right donors.