Kidney atrophy

　　1. General causes

　　1. Generally, kidney atrophy may present with left kidney atrophy, right kidney atrophy, and bilateral kidney atrophy symptoms. Generally, the causes of kidney atrophy include the following points:

　　Firstly, after learning about the kidney atrophy, it is necessary to consider congenital renal hypoplasia. Secondly, consider end-stage kidney disease, that is, renal failure, uremia, or certain acute diseases. For example: acute glomerulonephritis, diabetic nephrosclerosis, renal transplant rejection, chronic glomerulonephritis, renal cortex necrosis, Alport syndrome, acute tubular necrosis, hypertensive nephrosclerosis.

　　2. Bilateral or unilateral kidney shrinkage is often a cause of chronic pyelonephritis, which is also a common cause of renal atrophy.

　　Generally, when chronic kidney disease develops to renal insufficiency, especially renal failure and uremia, blood creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels rise, kidney damage is severe, the kidney substance is damaged, and the kidney may shrink. Therefore, it is reminded that renal atrophy patients must pay close attention to this issue. Kidney disease has a strong concealed nature. If the glomerular filtration rate is below 50%, symptoms may appear when kidney damage is severe. After confirming renal atrophy, it is necessary to actively look for the cause in order to investigate the condition.

　　Second, other causes

　　There are two other causes of renal atrophy: renal tuberculosis (one-sided kidney shrinkage, accompanied by contralateral kidney hydrops or compensatory enlargement), renal artery stenosis, and congenital developmental abnormalities.

　　Conclusion

　　Generally speaking, renal atrophy is closely related to long-term kidney disease. Due to kidney diseases, especially glomerular damage, the entire kidney may shrink. Renal atrophy and renal function changes are complementary. When patients have renal atrophy, they will or are bound to have renal insufficiency and even renal failure--uremia. It is hoped that patients with renal atrophy will pay attention to this disease and do a comprehensive examination in a timely manner to exclude the possibility of renal failure, so as not to delay the disease.

　　Renal atrophy is closely related to long-term kidney disease. Due to kidney diseases, especially glomerular damage, the entire kidney may shrink. Renal atrophy and renal function changes are complementary. When patients have renal atrophy, they will or are bound to have renal insufficiency and even renal failure--uremia. It is hoped that patients with renal atrophy will pay attention to this disease and do a comprehensive examination in a timely manner to exclude the possibility of renal failure, so as not to delay the disease.

　　They may also have facial and leg edema, skin itching symptoms, and may also be accompanied by foot edema. Some patients may have severe back pain and cannot sit for a long time. Renal atrophy is caused by long-term kidney problems and overexertion, and patients with renal atrophy may have swelling in their legs and feet, and blood pressure may also increase with the progression of the disease. The body may also gradually become thin.

　　Patients with renal atrophy may also have hematuria, which refers to an abnormal increase in red blood cell excretion in urine and is a signal that the urinary system may have serious diseases. If there are ≥3 red blood cells per high-power field in the centrifuged sedimented urine, or more than 1 non-centrifuged urine, or if the red blood cell count in urine exceeds 100,000 in 1 hour, or if the 12-hour urine sediment count exceeds 500,000, it indicates an abnormal increase in red blood cells in the urine, which is called hematuria. Mild cases may only show an increase in red blood cells under the microscope, known as microscopic hematuria; severe cases may appear as washwater-like or contain blood clots, known as gross hematuria. Usually, when there is 1 mL of blood per liter of urine, it is visible to the naked eye, and the urine appears red or washwater-like.

　　Understanding the symptoms of renal atrophy, when certain abnormalities occur, we should go to the hospital for a renal B-ultrasound examination to determine whether the kidneys have renal atrophy. This is of great significance for the treatment of the kidneys.

　　眼下，肾萎缩作为人类的一种常见疾病，给许多人群带来了极大的伤害，因此，更多的未患病的朋友都急于了解关于肾萎缩的预防问题，为帮助大家有效防止疾病和保持身体健康，今天，我们就请医学专家来为大家阐述一下有关肾萎缩的预防的内容，来帮助大家了解。

　　1、对病灶的清除过程。利用特色纯中药的靶向定位特性，将其分化，裂解，破碎，最后将其彻底清除的过程。这样一方面可以为修复过程扫清道路，又能提高通透性，增加滤过率，增加排毒，清除体内毒素。肌酐开始下降，小便也开始混浊。

　　2、控制原发病。最常见的原发病是慢性肾小球肾炎，约占50％-60％。往往是各种肾小球疾病的后果。如急性肾小球肾炎、肾病综合症等。其它还有慢性肾盂肾炎、狼疮性肾炎、尿路结石、糖尿病肾病、高血压肾动脉狭窄、药物中毒性肾病等等。可以说对这些有可能引起慢性肾萎缩的疾病都要重视，积极治疗。

　　3、活血通络过程，改善肾脏血液供给。从根本上解除缺血、缺氧状态，达到纠正肾性贫血的目的；增加了肾小球的有效灌注量，降低了肾小球内压，同时也就降低了肾小球的高滤过状态，延缓和控制了肾小球的硬化进程。周围的血管扩张后也增加了全身的有效血液循环总量，缓解了中毒症状，所以患者食欲好转，恶心呕吐症状消失。

　　通过以上的阅读，大家对于肾萎缩的预防都加深了解了吗？其实，还有许多其他的预防方法有待大家的用心发掘，相信对于肾萎缩的防止和健康的保持都是非常有效的，希望大家能够做好肾萎缩的预防，始终保持健康！

　　检查肾脏大小虽未能直接找到肾脏病的病因，但可初步了解病变的性质，提起医生的注意，或作急性、慢性疾病的鉴别，提供合理治疗的依据。检查肾脏大小的方法有多种，以B型超声检查最简单方便，而且经济，应作为体格检查的一个常规项目。B型超声检查肾萎缩、肾脏大小方法包括肾两极的长径和肾实质厚度。肾脏长径依民族、身高、年龄而有一定的差别，左肾稍长于右肾，男性稍大于女性。按中国人群的调查，成人肾脏长径大致为10～12cm，宽5～6cm;老年的肾脏体积随年龄的递增而缩小，调查认为老年肾脏长径为9.2~11.8cm，11.8cm为增大。成年人肾实质厚度约1.5~2cm，老年亦无明显差异，2.0cm为增厚。据调查以肾脏长径加肾实质厚度测量鉴别急性和慢性肾功能衰竭，符合率达92.6％。患了慢性肾脏病，定期检查肾大小，可助监测病变进展。

　　1. Limit the intake of protein, and eat milk and meat in moderation, which contain a lot of essential amino acids to meet the body's needs.

　　2. Fats should consider eating foods rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, such as vegetable oils. Limit the intake of water and salt to avoid increasing the burden on the kidneys and causing edema.

　　3. Avoid eating foods high in potassium, such as bananas, dried fruits, beef, pork, sardines, soy sauce, lettuce, wheat, etc.

　　4. Eat more dark green vegetables, etc.

　　Firstly, treatment measures

　　1. Abstain from smoking and drinking, and also pay attention to rest.

　　2. If there is unilateral renal atrophy, surgical resection can be considered.

　　3. Increased creatinine can be solved by dialysis, and the intake of protein-rich foods should be controlled.

　　4. There are many causes of renal atrophy, including various pathogenic factors such as various nephropathies, renal vascular diseases, renal trauma, etc., which, if not treated effectively, can lead to renal atrophy. Simply put, the development of various nephropathies is a process of continuous fibrosis of the kidney, and finally the kidney shows atrophy and shrinkage. It is recommended to consider antifibrotic treatment.

　　Secondly, treatment methods

　　To solve the problem of how to treat renal atrophy, it is necessary to explore the fundamental causes of renal atrophy. The kidney is attacked from the outside, inflammation occurs, and cellular phenotype transformation leads to the gradual occurrence and progression of renal fibrosis, thereby damaging the renal substance and causing the kidney to shrink. The treatment of renal atrophy should also focus on how to prevent renal fibrosis, which is consistent with the spirit of the nephrology conference.

　　The focus of treatment is:To repair damaged renal tissue, restore renal function, prevent the progression of renal fibrosis, and block the continued atrophy of the kidney. The specific treatment principle is: to promote the apoptosis of myofibroblasts and the phagocytosis of immune complexes; to reduce the synthesis of ECM and increase its degradation, so that the damaged renal tissue may still be partially repaired, and renal function can gradually recover. The apoptosis of myofibroblasts and immune complexes blocks their continued synthesis and secretion of ECM, increases the generation of degrading enzymes within the kidney, enhances its degradation activity of ECM, reduces the damage of ECM to renal tissue, and gradually reverses the damaged renal function.

　　Three, treatment process

　　The general principle in the treatment of kidney atrophy is to use microcosmic Chinese medicine treatment as the main method, and Western medicine symptomatic treatment as the auxiliary method.

　　Firstly, activate mesangial cells to prevent their continued proliferation; inhibit the activity of collagen cells and regeneration, repair the broken basement membrane, increase the filtration area of the mechanical barrier, and restore normal permeability.

　　Secondly, repair the charge barrier function of the basement membrane, the molecular chains of the micro-activated substances have a strong affinity with the basement membrane, and after the broken molecular chains combine with the damaged cells with positive charges, they stabilize again. Its efficacy is to promote the synthesis of heparin sulfate and sialic acid protein on the basement membrane, inhibit its decomposition, thereby maintaining the negative charge barrier function of the basement membrane, reducing protein leakage, and increasing toxin excretion.

　　In addition, the recombination and reconstruction mechanism participates in the repair of the glomerulus. After micro-activation, the broken molecular chains recombine with each other, produce new functions, form new molecules, repair the DNA of damaged cells, promote blood acceleration, enhance metabolism; promote the repair and regeneration of damaged renal tissue cells, and as the structure of the damaged kidney changes, the damaged renal function gradually recovers.

　　Four, Traditional Chinese Medicine Detoxification Therapy

　　For the treatment of various kidney diseases, the method of 'Traditional Chinese Medicine Detoxification Therapy' is adopted, with medication tailored to the symptoms and adjusted accordingly. By promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, benefiting the kidneys and removing impurities, removing wind and dampness, clearing heat and detoxifying, it improves renal blood flow, enhances renal tubular excretion, promotes fibrinolysis, reduces platelet aggregation, and is conducive to the transformation and absorption of proliferative lesions. It can promote the reversal of atrophic renal units, repair damaged tissues, inhibit glomerular atrophy, increase glomerular filtration rate, reduce intraglomerular fibrin leakage, extend the survival rate of damaged glomeruli, improve the permeability of glomerular capillaries, resist exudation, resist crescent formation, inhibit connective tissue proliferation, reduce blood creatinine and urea nitrogen, correct anemia and acidosis, inhibit glomerular atrophy, remove proteinuria, correct occult blood, and is suitable for various kidney diseases such as chronic glomerulonephritis, latent nephritis, lupus nephritis, allergic purpura nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, renal insufficiency, uremia, and congenital polycystic kidney disease, kidney stones, etc. Through辨证施治, ideal therapeutic effects can be achieved.

　　The symptoms of kidney atrophy are mainly located in the upper abdomen, manifested as upper abdominal pain. Because the atrophy of the gastric mucosa reduces the digestive function of the stomach, the dysfunction of gastric emptying will lead to a sense of fullness in the upper abdomen, which will worsen after eating, causing decreased appetite, and in severe cases, it can lead to weight loss.

　　Traditional Chinese medicine believes that kidney atrophy is caused by external pathogenic factors, improper diet, emotional disorders, and weakened spleen and stomach. The spleen and stomach are responsible for food digestion and nutrient absorption, playing a role in maintaining the rise and fall of human qi. When the spleen and stomach are weakened, symptoms such as decreased appetite and qi stasis will appear, which are a series of symptoms of kidney atrophy.

　　Poor eating habits, such as excessive drinking (strong alcohol), strong tea, coffee, or difficult-to-digest food, etc., can damage the gastric mucosa, causing superficial gastritis to transform into renal atrophy; due to the relaxation of pyloric function, intestinal juice and bile reflux into the stomach through the pylorus, which can stimulate the gastric mucosa, destroy the barrier of the gastric mucosa, leading to the development of chronic superficial gastritis into renal atrophy.

　　The chance of renal atrophy cancer is very small, the process from superficial gastritis to renal atrophy to intestinal metaplasia to hidden hyperplasia to gastric cancer is very long. If renal atrophy is combined with moderate intestinal metaplasia, the chance of canceration is about 6% after observing for 10-15 years.

　　Distinguishing symptoms and treating diseases is a characteristic of traditional Chinese medicine, that is, according to the individualized condition of the patient, different treatment methods are selected. If the patient has symptoms such as hidden pain or distension in the upper abdomen, preference for warmth and palpation, fatigue, decreased appetite, abdominal distension after eating, easy diarrhea, pale tongue with tooth marks on the edges, thin white fur, thin pulse, etc., it is judged as deficiency of the spleen and stomach, and treatment methods such as invigorating Qi and strengthening the spleen can be adopted. If the patient has symptoms such as distension and pain in the upper abdomen (including both sides of the ribs), chest stuffiness, excessive belching, preference for sighing, significant correlation between the onset and aggravation of symptoms and emotional factors, thin white fur, wiry pulse, etc., it is judged as disharmony between liver and stomach, and treatment methods such as soothing the liver and harmonizing the stomach can be adopted.

　　If the patient has symptoms such as upper abdominal hidden pain or burning pain, long history and frequent attacks, lack of appetite, dry mouth without thirst, dry stools, red tongue with little saliva, cracks, flower-like peeled or bright red without fur, thin and rapid pulse, etc., it is judged as deficiency of stomach Yin, and treatment methods such as nourishing Yin and benefiting the stomach can be adopted. If the patient has symptoms such as upper abdominal burning, distension, stuffiness, loss of appetite, thirst without desire for water, bitter and sticky mouth, uncomfortable defecation, red tongue, yellow and greasy fur, wiry and slippery pulse, etc., it is judged as damp-heat syndrome of the spleen and stomach, and treatment methods such as clearing heat and dampness can be adopted.

　　Traditional Chinese medicine treatment for renal atrophy usually takes 3 months as one course of treatment, and it usually takes about 2-3 courses of treatment. If there are no symptoms after gastroscopy, medication can be discontinued. After taking the medicine, one should live a regular life, eat easily digestible food, avoid eating刺激性 food, and supplement nutrition appropriately. It is recommended to smoke less, pay attention to food hygiene, and stick to the treatment. Regular check-ups are also very important. For mild symptoms, it is recommended to have a check-up once a year, and for severe symptoms, it is recommended to have a check-up once every 3-6 months.