Researchers Find Acute Kidney Disease On the Rise Due to Medications, Surgery

It seems kidney disease is in the media more these days.  According to researchers, acute kidney disease is under-researched.  A new study published in the Journal of Nephrology states acute kidney disease is responsible for approximately 39,000 deaths in 2009 alone.  Over the span of 9 years, researchers tracked the number of cases of acute kidney disease, as it grew from 18,000 to 39,000.  As a result, researchers estimated that 10% more patients required dialysis every year.

Acute kidney disease differs from other forms of kidney disease because it is a sudden and rapid decline of the kidneys.  This can occur after an infection that may or may not be detected, major surgery, or from the interaction with different kinds of medications.  To date, researchers still do not have a good grasp of the reasons why kidneys fail so suddenly and why this is increasing.

Possible Links to Sudden Kidney Failure

Acute kidney disease is marked by a sudden and rapid decline in kidney functions.  This could be the result of various outside influences, many of which may be linked to existing health conditions and the treatment of these conditions. Among the likely suspects are:

• Sudden kidney blockages caused by kidney stones
• Antibiotics
• Pain medicines such as aspirin
• ACE inhibitors
• Dyes used in various common xray tests
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Liver disease
• Heart surgery or bone marrow surgery

Researchers are calling for more intense investigations into acute kidney disease to better understand the differences between acute kidney disease and chronic kidney disease, or so called end- stage kidney disease.

Symptoms of Kidney Disease

Acute kidney disease comes about rapidly.  Yesterday you may have functioned normally, but for some reason today you could be dying.  In my own experience, my grandfather died this way. The symptoms can be hard to spot, but they are important to try and catch early:

• Lack of urine when you urinate
• Swelling or retaining fluids in your ankles, feet, legs that indicate your kidneys may be shutting down
• Nausea and vomiting
• No desire to eat
• Confusion, anxiety, restlessness that is out of character
• Flank pain in your back below the ribs

The problem is that many people ignore these symptoms or are unaware that they are experiencing symptoms of kidney failure.  Often, this is only diagnosed in the hospital when patients are already undergoing other treatments. 

Protect Yourself

Listen to your body and discuss the potential for kidney failure with your doctors.  If you feel your medications have injured you, your doctor may be able to suggest something else.  And you can always call a skilled product liability and personal injury lawyer for help.  Protect yourself and talk to your doctor today. Find out if you're at risk and how you can best avoid acute kidney disease.

Estimated Half of Diabetes Sufferers Unaware they Have Disease

Are you living with diabetes? If you haven't been checked lately, you may be living with diabetes but blissfully unaware of the problem.  According to the International Diabetes Foundation (IDF,) half of the people with the disease are unaware that they have it.

How can people not know they have diabetes?  World wide, health care standards vary and many poor and low income families do not see a doctor and because of poor health education, may be unaware that they are symptomatic of the disease.  The IDF estimates approximately 187 million people world wide do not know they have diabetes.

Diabetes Symptoms to Look For

According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes symptoms differ depending on whether you have type 1 diabetes, the kind you're born with, or type 2 diabetes, nicknamed lifestyle diabetes.
If you suffer the following symptoms, you should seek medical treatment and testing to determine whether you have diabetes:

Type 1:

• Increased thirst
• Increased hunger
• Frequently urinating
• Unusual fatigue, irritability associated with fatigue
• Sudden weight loss

Type 2:

• type 1 diabetes symptoms
• recurring infections
• blurry vision that is not the result of a known eye condition
• slow healing cuts and bruises
• numbness or tingling in the extremities
• frequent gum, skin, or bladder infections

Alone, one or two of these symptoms could potentially be coincidental, but it behooves you to get checked out by your family physician. At the very least, a test and an exam by your doctor can set your mind at ease.  If doctors diagnose you with diabetes, you do have options.

Patients Should Be Aware that Some Diabetes Treatments are Dangerous

If your doctor tells you that you have diabetes, you should be aware that some diabetes treatments are known to be dangerous.  For example, the type 2 diabetes treatment, Actos, is known to cause bladder cancer.  In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a warning that Actos patients who took the drug for a year or longer had as much as 40% increased risk of developing bladder cancer.

Talk to your doctor about your options- lifestyle and medications available to aid you.  Be aware that in some cases, treatments of these diseases could cause other problems you never anticipated.  If your diabetes treatment injures you, please consult a skilled personal injury and product liability attorney to preserve your rights.  You could be entitled to compensation for these injuries.