Diabetes and Your Kidney
Diabetes affects 3 main organs: the kidneys, the eyes, and the nerves. Diabetes is the #1 cause of kidney disease in the US and the incidence is rising around the world. When diabetes affects the kidneys it is called “Diabetic Nephropathy” The earliest sign of diabetes affecting your kidney is protein in the urine and this is known as microalbuminuria. ...
Blood in Urine (Hematuria)
Hematuria is the medical term for blood in urine. If you ever notice that your urine is tea-colored, purplish, brownish, pink or red, see your doctor immediately! Unfortunately, this blood is not always visible to the naked eye and must be found through a routine urine test. When examining urine for blood, we pay close attention to the shape of the red ...
Proteinuria
Proteinuria means that you have protein in your urine. The important protein to remember is Albumin which is made by the liver. It’s the kidney’s job to make sure that albumin doesn't spill out into urine. Think of albumin as sealant for your blood vessels. It keeps them watertight, so if we lose too much albumin from our urine, water will leak outside our blood ...
Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD)
Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) is a genetic disease that causes the kidneys to grow multiple cysts. As these cysts grow larger, blood flow becomes strained and can lead to tissue damage and scarring. Eventually this can lead to kidney failure. Since PKD affects roughly 1 in every 800 people and accounts for 5-10% of dialysis patients, it is important to ...
Kidney Stones
There are many theories as to how a stone is formed. In general, crystals are initially formed within the nephron. They get anchored and gradually increase in size to form a stone. Each type of kidney stone has different risk factors. Calcium Oxalate Stones Uric Acid Stones Staghorn Calculi This is genetic and is suspected in those who form stones ...
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)
Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy, or BPH, is one possible medical cause behind an enlarged prostate. This is a pretty common condition and usually nothing serious (hence the "benign" qualifier). In fact, over half of men ages 50+ show symptoms of BPH. But it does share symptoms with the early stages of prostate cancer, so it's important to be aware of the ...