What should you know about proteinuria & Ayurvedic treatment?
Proteinuria is a health condition in which the body there is an increased level of protein in your urine. The foaminess we observe in the urine when urinating is a sign that your urine has protein in it. Proteinuria is a tell-tale sign of some kidney problems or kidney damage.
Protein the function of which is to help muscles build, bone develop, regulate the amount of fluid and electrolyte in the blood, repair tissue, and transmute the oxygen throughout the blood.
The protein remains in the blood, and your kidneys separate the waste from the blood, keeping minerals therein. Off chance, the kidneys become incapable of performing this required function; the protein may seep from the body, along with the urine. This is not healthy for us, and in medical terms, this condition is known as proteinuria.
There are numerous proteins present in our blood, but the most important of all is the albumin. The kidneys hold albumin tightly, but in proteinuria, albumin skips along. This is why proteinuria is also called albuminuria.
How common is proteinuria?
Usually, your urine has less than 150 mg/day of protein; that is why we see some bubbles around it. But, if this happens for continuous days and the foaminess is increasing steadily, you need to book an appointment with your healthcare provider. High levels of protein in the urine come because of declined kidney function. However, it is seen more in the elderly and people who have some sort of chronic illness.
How protein skips along with the urine?
The glomeruli which are the small blood vessels (capillaries) of the kidneys filter waste and excess fluid from the blood. These small filters of the kidneys pass these substances into the urine but keep the large molecules of proteins and blood cells. If smaller proteins get along with the blood vessels of the kidneys, the tubules, another hollow, thin tube filters them at their end and keep them in the body.
But if both the small and long tubes and filters of the kidneys are damaged, there will be faulty reabsorption of the proteins. This will be more serious if you consume animal protein sources at the time of kidney damage.
What are the signs your kidney function is low or that you have proteinuria?
Often, people do not notice any signs of proteinuria, at least not until the time when there is some serious problem with your kidneys.
However, in any condition, when the kidney damage is severe, and there is an excess protein leakage, you will notice:
- More frequent urination but too less urine
- Shortness of breath or panting
- Tiredness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Swelling in the face, belly, feet, legs or ankles
- Loss of appetite
- Muscle cramping at night
- Puffiness around the eyes, especially in the morning
- Foamy or bubbly urine
What are the causes of proteinuria?
The conditions which allow the protein to skip through the filters are directly or indirectly related to the filters of the kidneys. The temporary loss of protein is brought about the conditions include:
- Dehydration
- Strenuous exercise
- Emotional stress
- Fever
- Exposure to extreme cold
- Low blood pressure
- Aspirin therapy
- A stone in the urinary tract may also allow the protein to skip through the filters
But such conditions do not necessarily mean that there is a problem with a kidney.
In some medical conditions, some chronic conditions such as low kidney function, too much blood sugar, and blood pressure being high can also damage the kidneys. These two conditions awfully affect kidneys and result in kidney failure, in some extreme cases. So, the best way to avoid renal failure is to take ayurvedic treatment for kidney failure, if you ever get influenced with such conditions.
Other potentially kidney-harming diseases and medical conditions, which can lead to proteinuria, include:
- Immune disorders like lupus and Good pasture’s syndrome
- Glomerulonephritis
- IgA nephropathy
- Nephrotic syndrome
- Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis
- Cancer of plasma cells
- Intravascular hemolysis which means too much hemoglobin in the bloodstream
- Cardiovascular disease
- Amyloidosis
- Preeclampsia in a pregnant woman is the occurrence of hypertension and proteinuria at the same time
- Trauma
- Kidney cancer
- Congestive heart failure
- Certain drugs, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
- Pyelonephritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Sickle cell anemia
How is proteinuria diagnosed?
Through a urine test, your doctor would be able to diagnose proteinuria. A urine sample is taken for the examination in the lab. A dipstick is a chemically coated strip, the part of which is inserted in the urine sample. If there is protein in the urine, the color of the chemical strip gets changed.
The part of the urine is further sent for microscopic scrutinization. The doctors will look for substances like red blood cells and WBCs, crystals, other waste in the urine, and also bacteria.
If the sample shows that the kidney function is low, he will further do a series of tests to confirm the problem.
These tests may include:
Blood tests: Blood tests are used to check for the substances in the blood, such as creatinine, a protein called albumin. If the kidneys are not working, creatinine will be more in the blood instead of the urine, while protein would have less content in the blood.
Glomerular filtration rate: GFR is determined based on the remaining kidney function. GFR less than 15 is a sign of some severe health issues.
CT scan and ultrasounds: The image of the kidneys helps examine the kidneys for swelling, stone, etc.
A kidney biopsy: It is done with the help of a kidney tissue which is taken out from the kidneys. This helps to know the exact cause of the damage to the kidneys.
What is the Ayurvedic treatment for proteinuria?
The ayurvedic treatment for proteinuria works to soothe the inflammation in the filters of the kidneys called glomerulus. The ayurvedic herbs like Punarnava help to cure the signs in the first place so that there is no scope of getting caught with kidney disease again in the near future. This line of treatment is far the best choice for any kidney problem because when it comes to the kidney, the treatment choice counts.
For more information, feel free to reach us Ayurvedic kidney disease treatment Hospital
