Medical experts like nephrologists and urologists work on the kidney. A urologist is a urinary tract surgeon that can eliminate kidney cancers or help drain the bladder. A nephrologist is a kidney specialist who can help maximize the function of your kidneys and support them with dialysis when needed.
What Conditions Do Kidney Doctors Treat?
A kidney doctor like Ghayyath Sultan, M.D. cares for those who have various kinds of kidney disease such as acute kidney disease and chronic renal failure. A range of medical issues can impact your kidneys in many ways. These include diabetes, chronic kidney infections, kidney stones, obesity, and autoimmune diseases such as IgA nephropathy.
A kidney doctor will manage kidney issues by trying to correct them or preventing them from getting worse. Also, they manage the symptoms usually associated with kidney disease like high blood pressure and electrolyte disturbances.
Kidney Disease Symptoms
Your kidneys are found on your flanks, near the spine. When you sustain injuries to the back or side below the diaphragm, your kidneys can also be injured. The kidneys filter the blood to get rid of toxins, maintain the proper electrolyte levels for proper cell functioning, and maintain the body’s fluid balance.
When you suffer from dehydration, your kidneys work to restore your body’s fluid status; however, they can sustain injuries when you suffer from prolonged or serious dehydration. When your kidneys fail to work properly, your potassium and sodium level can be impacted. For your heart to properly function, it needs the right amount of potassium. Thus, kidney issues can lead to abnormal heart rhythms.
In addition, abnormal blood pressure can lead to kidney damage. In turn, this damage can result in blood pressure regulation issues. And because your kidneys make a hormone necessary for producing red blood cells, kidney disease can cause anemia.
Treatments for Kidney Disease
Medications can usually treat early issues with the kidney. Also, your doctor may recommend changes in the type of fluids you must consume. But, advanced stages of kidney disease may require dialysis to ensure your body eliminates toxins and balances electrolytes. When your kidneys have failed, they won’t be able to perform this job anymore.
When to See a Kidney Doctor
The perfect time to visit a kidney doctor depends on your kidney function, your renal condition, and other risk factors. But, because timely consultation with a specialist is important to your survival, it is best to see a nephrologist earlier instead of later.
