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It’s important to keep your kidneys healthy so they can perform these important tasks throughout your life. If your kidneys are not healthy, other organs in your body may suffer and this could lead to further health complications. As many of the signs and symptoms are non-specific and may be attributed to other causes. Kidney disease is often discovered by chance.
Herbal supplements are made from plants, fungi or algae, and are usually sold as extracts, teas, powders or tablets, or capsules. The fact that they are marketed as “natural” is appealing to people who want to shy away from drugs.
Unlike prescription or over the counter drugs, herbal supplements are not regulated so their manufacturers can put in whatever ingredient they want. Some herbal medicines are high in glucose, phosphate and/ or potassium. When you are seeing your doctor, renal dietitian and or pharmacist it is very important to discuss herbal medicine with them, so that it won't negatively interact with your prescribed treatments.
This report produces a wide range of statistics relating to incidence, prevalence and outcomes of treatment, of those with end stage kidney failure.
Click here for more info: https://www.anzdata.org.au/report/anzdata-46th-annual-report-2023-data-to-2022/
The 45th Annual ANZDATA Report (2022) includes analyses of data to 31st December 2021. For the survey period ending 31-December-2021, all renal units across Australia and New Zealand contributed data to the Registry. This report produces a wide range of statistics relating to incidence, prevalence and outcomes of treatment, of those with end stage kidney failure.
Click here for more info: https://www.anzdata.org.au/report/anzdata-45th-annual-report-2022-data-to-2021/
RN can also occur if the flow of urine is obstructed for any reason, for example, by a blockage to the bladder outlet. Such as for bladder stones, over time, the kidneys may be damaged or scarred because of urinary reflux.
People with horseshoe kidney are more prone to developing reflux of urine between the bladder and kidneys.
The reflux of urine from the bladder up to the kidneys is often diagnosed in younger children with reoccurring urine infections. In these cases, while operations are sometimes performed to correct it, the reflux is often resolved spontaneously.
People with damaged or scarred kidneys as a part of reflux nephropathy can develop high blood pressure which can in turn further damage the kidneys.
When people have PKD, abnormal fluid-filled sacs or "cysts" grow in the kidney. As these cysts grow, they can cause the kidney to grow much larger and eventually fail. PKD is the most common genetic cause of kidney disease, accounting for approximately 10% of all dialysis patients. There are two different types of polycystic kidney disease, dominant and recessive:
Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) occurs in about 90% of cases and, for most people, symptoms usually begin between the ages of 30 and 40 but can begin earlier. Symptoms may include pain, high blood pressure, blood in the urine and impaired kidney function.
Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease (ARPKD) is a much less common form of PKD. This is typically a childhood disease, and the signs and symptoms often appear shortly after birth.
In very rare cases, a gene mutation may develop on its own, without inheriting the gene from either parent. This form of PKD is referred to as spontaneous.
In individuals with nephritis, the body's own immune system attacks the nephron and causes inflammation, damage and scarring.
Some forms are treatable, but most are not. In its chronic form, nephritis affects both kidneys and causes slow, progressive damage. It can occur very rapidly or very slowly, and whilst some individuals recover without treatment, others progress to chronic renal failure. Rarely hereditary, most cases of nephritis occur at random.
The little information available on causes of nephritis makes it an active area of medical research world wide.
Kidney stones form when waste materials in your urine clump together to form a solid crystal. These can be as small as a grain of sand to as big as a golf ball. Kidney stones can block the flow of urine, cause infections and kidney damage.
The kidneys act as the filtering system for the body. The kidneys filter the good chemicals and minerals and get rid of the unwanted ones in our urine. If certain nutrients and minerals such as calcium oxalate, uric acid or phosphate build up in the kidneys, or in the urine they can form a stone. Calcium oxalate is the most common. Most stones start out small in size and grow larger over time. The stones may stay in the kidney or travel down the ureter into the bladder.
It damages the small vessels that deliver blood to the kidney filters, and can also damage the filters themselves. This means that if the high blood pressure is not identified and treated, it is possible for the body to enter a "vicious cycle" in which high blood pressure leads to kidney damage. Which in turn, leads to even higher blood pressure.
Effective treatment for blood pressure can greatly reduce the severity of kidney damage by half, as well as slow the progression of kidney disease.
The uric acid forms crystals and builds up in bone joints. This leads to inflammation and pain. Gout is primarily controlled with medications, such as Allopurinol, which lower uric acid levels in the blood.
Making some changes to what you eat can also help during an attack and prevent attacks from happening.
It damages the filtering membranes in the kidney directly, as well as damaging blood vessels throughout the body, increasing the risk of high blood pressure which can in itself cause renal failure.
The presence of protein in the urine of diabetic patients can indicate the extent of damage to the kidney's filters.
Managing diabetes well is important to help prevent kidney disease and to slow down its progression.
For adults with diabetes and chronic kidney disease, individualised advice can help you get the best control of your diabetes. Ask your doctor, dietitian, practice nurse or diabetes specialist team for more help.
Diabetes NZ provides this general advice to manage your diabetes diet well:
Many people with chronic kidney disease also have high blood pressure. Managing blood pressure well is important to help slow progression of kidney disease.
There is no one ‘renal’ diet that is right for everyone. Nutrition advice is individual to you and based on medical diagnosis, treatments, medications and your personal goals. What is right for others may not be right for you.
When you have early chronic kidney disease (stage 1-3) general healthy eating is a great place to start. A kidney/renal dietitian can give individual information about what to eat and drink when you have early chronic kidney disease. A kidney/renal dietitian can also help with nutrition for kidney related diagnosis such as kidney stones, nephrotic syndrome or polycystic kidney disease. Talk to your doctor about referral to a dietitian, or see our list of private dietitians experienced in working with people with kidney disease.
When kidney disease is more advanced (stage 4-5) nutrition issues may arise. At this stage you will likely be under a renal specialist team and your kidney doctor or nurse can refer you to a kidney/renal dietitian. The dietitian will assess medical history, blood results and diet history. The dietitian can give tailored advice to help manage your specific nutrition issues. Common nutrition issues in later stages include symptoms such as reduced appetite, taste changes and fluid overload or changes with your blood results such as high potassium and phosphate levels.
Many people with chronic kidney disease develop symptoms that affect their ability to eat well. At later stages of chronic kidney disease symptoms such as poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, and taste changes are common.
It is important to stay well-nourished to maintain your muscle mass and strength. If you are experiencing symptoms that are affecting your appetite, or are losing weight, discuss this with your doctor, dietitian or medical team.
Potassium is a mineral found in your body. Potassium is essential for keeping your body working properly. Potassium is found in many foods and drinks. Many healthy foods contain potassium. Potassium plays a role in managing blood pressure and supporting your kidney health.
Healthy kidneys control the potassium levels in your blood well. When your kidneys do not work properly, they may not be able to remove extra potassium. This can lead to higher blood potassium levels. Very high blood potassium levels must be treated as they can be dangerous for your heart. High blood potassium does NOT affect everyone with chronic kidney disease.
If you have high blood potassium levels your doctor will look for causes that can be managed, such as medications, constipation, acute kidney injury, blood glucose levels, illness and diet. Not everyone will need to change their diet to help manage high blood potassium levels. We recommend speaking with your medical team if you are unsure whether you need to change your diet.
If you need to change your diet to help manage your potassium you should see a kidney/renal dietitian. Recommendations should be individualised to you. The dietitian will help you choose a healthy diet that helps your body manage potassium and control how much potassium you eat. You can make a start by eating less highly processed foods.
Highly processed foods often contain potassium additives. Potassium in these foods is absorbed very easily by the body. Sports drinks and energy drinks also can contain potassium additives. Make water your first choice of drink.
A plant-based diet is a diet that contains mostly plant foods. You do not need to be vegetarian or vegan to follow a plant-based diet. Vegetarian and vegan diets are examples of plant-based diets. However, some plant-based diets do still include animal products in moderate amounts.
Plant-based diets contain mostly wholegrains, fruit, vegetables, legumes (beans, peas and lentils) unsalted nuts, healthy oils, and moderate amounts of animal products such as dairy, eggs, meat and poultry (chicken). A healthy plant-based diet focusses on whole foods and limits highly processed foods like sugary drinks, takeaways, processed meals and snacks. Highly processed foods are often high in salt, sugar, fat and low in fibre and nutritional value.
Healthy plant-based diets are associated with many health benefits such as heart health and weight control. Some studies have shown plant-based diets can help slow the progression of chronic kidney disease.
To get benefits from a plant-based diet it is important to keep a plant-based diet as healthy as possible. Include wholefoods and minimally processed foods and choose wholegrain, high fibre options.
Get started with plant-based eating
For more information: Heart Foundation - Full of Beans
Some vitamin and mineral supplements and herbal remedies are not recommended when you have kidney disease. If you are thinking of taking vitamin, mineral or herbal supplements, discuss this with your doctor, dietitian or pharmacist first.
Where can I get more information?
Speak to your GP, your renal specialist team or dietitian. Ask about a referral to a dietitian with experience working with people with kidney disease.
High phosphate levels, or hyperphosphataemia, is a common issue for people with end-stage renal disease. As kidney function declines, the levels of calcium and phosphate in the blood may alter. This can cause an increase in blood (serum) phosphate levels.
Management involves closely monitoring phosphate levels in the blood, along with your calcium and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels.
Treatments may include:
A renal dietitian will work with patients who have high phosphate levels to adjust their dietary intake of phosphorous. Phosphorous is often found in processed or packaged foods and is readily absorbed in the gut. Additionally, dietary protein foods are high in phosphorous, but it is important that people with advanced CKD still eat the right amount of protein. A dietitian will work with patients to help modify phosphorous intake without compromising nutritional status.
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