Renal Parenchymal Disease: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

What Is Renal Parenchymal Disease?

The renal parenchyma comprises the renal medulla and cortex, and renal parenchymal disease is the disease that affects these renal structures. The renal cortex is the outer part of the kidney and consists of nephrons that host the glomeruli and act as filters for blood and renal tubules responsible for urine production. The renal medulla comprises ducts that aid in urine flow toward the ureters. Such disease can be acquired or congenital and is generally caused by chronic renal failure, diabetes, and uncontrolled hypertension.

Renal parenchymal disease can be very dangerous as it primarily affects kidney functioning and causes renal failure in severe cases. Kidneys play an important role in the filtration of waste products from the blood. The kidneys also reabsorb the essential electrolyte back into the blood. Kidneys also play a role in electrolyte balance, red blood cell production, and regulating blood pressure. Renal parenchyma disease can lead to kidney failure, which can be due to pre-renal, renal, or post-renal reasons. The pre-renal reasons include dehydration, low blood volume, and compromised blood supply to the kidneys.

What Causes Renal Parenchymal Disease?

The causes of the renal parenchymal disease include:

• High blood pressure.

• Kidney stones.

• Diabetes.

• Genetic conditions such as polycystic kidney disease.

• Bacterial and viral infections.

• Family history of the disease.

• Autoimmune diseases such as lupus nephritis.

• Drug-related and others.

Other problems associated with pre-renal, renal, and post-renal problems include:

• Pre-renal problems are associated with blood supply to the kidneys, including dehydration, low intake of fluids, diuretics, and low blood volume.

• Renal problems related to direct kidney damage can be caused by other factors such as multiple myeloma, sepsis, and certain medications.

• Post-renal problems affect the urine flow from the body, which is obstructed by conditions such as prostate cancer, kidney stones, abdominal tumors, and bladder obstruction.

What Are the Symptoms of the Renal Parenchymal Disease?

Kidneys play a vital role and are important organs of the human body as they are responsible for regulating the amount of fluid in the body, electrolyte balance, and hormonal functions. The symptoms of the parenchymal disease develop in advanced stages. Other signs that help detect renal parenchymal disease include:

• Anemia.

• High blood pressure.

• Changes in the bone.

• Blood in the urine.

• Abdominal swelling.

• Nausea.

• Vomiting.

• Itching.

• Loss of appetite.

• Inflammation of hands, eyes, and feet.

• Joint pain.

• Fatigue.

• Weakness and lethargy.

• Dizziness.

• Shortness of breath.

• Frequent urination at night.

How Is the Renal Parenchymal Disease Diagnosed?

The renal parenchymal disease is asymptomatic; hence, diagnosis is the only path to detect this disease. Diagnosis can be made by:

• Clinical Examination - Renal parenchymal disease is generally identified via laboratory and urine tests. The urine tests can supply information on the level of blood and protein in the urine; on the other hand, blood tests can deliver clarity on the abnormal levels of BUN (blood urea nitrogen), creatinine, and a disproportionate glomerular filtration rate (GFR).

• Imaging Tests - Imaging tests such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) are used to assess the kidneys and reveal their inner health and blood supply.

How Is the Renal Parenchymal Disease Treated?

Renal parenchymal disease does not have a conclusive treatment, whereas the symptoms and underlying conditions need to be effectively managed in order to control the damage. Apart from medical treatment, various important lifestyle improvements will be required to treat renal parenchymal disease; these include:

• Quitting smoking.

• Watching the calorie intake.

• Increasing physical activity.

• Limiting alcohol intake.

• Increasing fluid intake.

• Making dietary changes to adopt a healthy and nutritional diet.

In a severe renal parenchymal disease that causes renal failure, the patient needs dialysis or a kidney transplant for sustenance. Altogether, renal parenchymal disease can be risky and can also be fatal if not diagnosed early or in cases where sufficient medical treatment is not obtained. It is important to get periodic screenings and diagnostic tests to detect the issues early and prevent severe complications such as renal failure. Moreover, it is reasonable to go after preventive measures and a healthy lifestyle to keep kidneys healthy.

How to Prevent Renal Parenchymal Disease?

The renal parenchymal disease can be prevented by:

• Making dietary changes such as including food that is healthy for the kidney and excluding unhealthy food can prevent the disease from worsening.

• One must include food such as whole greens, corn, wheat, brown rice, and oats. Include fat-free or skimmed milk into the diet.

• Avoid intake of snacks, packaged food, and fat-containing food products. Instead, eat orange or orange juice.

• Quit smoking and intake of alcohol as it has a negative effect on the kidneys. Drinking alcohol and smoking can worsen the disease.

• Make physical activity a part of routine health care. Being physically active for 30 minutes or more on most days can help in the betterment of the physical health of the body.

• If overweight or obese, work with the dietician to create a weight loss plan and control the weight.

• Aim to sleep seven to eight hours each night. Take steps to improve trouble sleeping or sleep habits.

• Explore stress-reducing activities such as meditation, stress-releasing activities, and yoga.

• Management of heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes is required. High blood pressure should be managed and kept below 140/90 milliliter of mercury. inclusion of all the medicines to treat the rise in blood pressure such as angiotensin-converting enzyme innovators should be taken, which can protect the kidneys as well.

• Avoid using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen as they are found to harm the kidneys.

• In order to prevent heart attack and stroke, cholesterol levels should be in the target range. There are two types of cholesterol in the blood: low-density lipids and high-density lipids. Low-density lipid is called bad cholesterol which can build up in the body and cause clots in the blood vessels whereas high-density lipid or good cholesterol can remove the bad cholesterol from the blood vessels. A blood test can help measure this.

Conclusion:

Renal parenchymal disease includes various disorders that affect glomeruli, small blood vessels of the kidney, and interstitium. It can be primary, secondary, acquired, or congenital. The associated symptoms include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, anemia, and swelling in the hands, feet, and face. Ultrasound of the kidneys provides the best results for diagnosing the disease. The disease causes alteration in the echogenicity of the renal parenchyma and can be easily diagnosed. The treatment involves the management of the underlying cause of the disease.