The kidneys play an important role in the overall functioning of the body. They filter out fluids and help in maintaining a balance of all the nutrients in the body. When these organs are not able to perform their functions properly, a person suffers from a kidney condition. There are many types of kidney diseases. Let’s look at some of them – their causes, symptoms, and how to manage them.

Chronic kidney disease
Also known as chronic kidney failure, this is a condition in which the kidneys over time are unable to perform its functions properly. They cannot filter out waste and excess liquid from the blood, which can cause serious health complications.

Symptoms
Vomiting; nausea; fatigue or weakness; frequent urination; chronic muscle cramps; high blood pressure; swelling of feet; dry and itchy skin; sleep issues are some symptoms of kidney failure.

Causes
Conditions like Type 1 or 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney stones, recurrent kidney infection are known causes. Chronic kidney failure can also occur due to inflammation of the kidney’s filtering units or the tubules and the surrounding structures. Prolonged obstruction to the urinary tract due to a swollen prostate is another cause. Vesicoureteral reflux, a condition that causes the urine to go back into the kidneys, also results in kidney failure.

Management options
There isn’t a cure yet for chronic kidney failure. Depending on an individual’s case, the doctor will take two approaches — to treat the cause and to treat any resulting complication. Depending on these aspects, treatment will be administered.

Fabry disease
It is a rare genetic condition that affects the heart, brain, and kidneys. In this condition, the body does not have the enzymes to ensure that lipids or fats are broken down properly. As a result, excess fat gets collected in the blood vessels, increasing one’s risk of kidney failure.

Symptoms
Some symptoms of the condition include: Numbness; tingling; burning or pain in hands or feet; extreme pain while doing any physical activity; intolerance towards cold or heat; swelling of legs, ankles or feet; ringing in the ears or hearing loss; diarrhea; chronic constipation; less or no sweat at all.

Causes
This is a hereditary disease. The child inherits a mutated gene from the X chromosome. This mutation leads to insufficient amounts of the enzyme needed to break down fats.

Management options
A cure for the disease does not exist, but there are treatments that can help manage the symptoms. Enzyme replacement therapy is done to replace the mutated gene with healthy genes to ensure there’s no buildup of fatty substances. This treatment is performed every two weeks. The doctor may also provide some treatments before the start of the therapy to minimize any allergic reaction to this process.

Another option is oral chaperone therapy, which is done to repair the faulty gene that allows build up of fatty substances. Chaperones are small molecules that do this job. However, a person will have to undergo diagnosis before starting this treatment. Only those with a specific gene mutation can go through this treatment plan.

Nephropathic cystinosis
This is a rare disease that is usually developed in infants or children of young age. It is characterized by the accumulation of an amino acid called cystine in various tissues and organs, like the eyes, muscles, liver, and kidneys. Doctors have been unable to find a cure yet, but treatment plans can help manage the symptoms.

Infants with this condition develop “Fanconi syndrome,” wherein the kidney is unable to absorb important minerals like sodium and potassium. These nutrients are excreted through the urine, leading to more health issues when the infants grow up.

Symptoms
The signs and symptoms are generally visible once an infant is 6-12 months of age. There can be signs like dehydration, frequent urination, feeding intolerance, or below average growth.

Causes
Nephropathic cystinosis is an inherited disorder. It is caused due to the abnormal buildup of cystine, an amino acid. This excess buildup causes health complications in the long run.

Management options
Infants should be given fluids and electrolytes like sodium and potassium. Vitamin D and phosphate salts can also be given for stronger bones. A kidney transplant will eventually be needed, if there is a failure.