Nephrology
This field is solely concerned with the study of kidneys, its functions and all associated diseases and disorders. The term nephros is Greek for kidney. Kidneys are responsible to filter the blood. This removes waste, maintain the correct amounts of electrolyte. It also controls fluid balance of the body.
There are a number of problems that affect the kidney including diabetes and hypertension. Due to this reason, history and physical examination are crucial for diagnosis. A practitioner of this field is called a nephrologist.
A nephrologist may ask you about any diseases that run in the family, whether you are on any medication, if you take any drugs or your alcohol consumption, what your diet mainly consists of and general medical history.
A thorough work up on the urine of the patient is conducted to diagnose any kidney problems. Along with urine tests, other full work up on the blood sample will be conducted. The doctor will also carry out diagnostic imaging to look for abnormalities in the structure and size of the kidneys.
There are quite a few procedure and disorders that come under nephrology. Some of them include:
- Renal replacement therapy (kidney transplant)- there is a high risk of organ rejection
- Dialysis
- Plasma exchange
- Diabetes also affects the kidneys and its functions
- Chronic kidney diseases
- Auto-immune and inflammatory kidney diseases
To identify the cause, the nephrologists may choose any of the following kidney tests:
- Urinalysis
- Kidney ultrasound
- Computer tomography (CT) scan
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Urine and blood culture
- Kidney biopsy
- Ureteroscopy
- To treat kidney related conditions the nephrologists might opt for any of the following depending upon the situation:
- Antibiotics
- Nephrostomy
- Lithotripsy
- Nephrectomy
- Dialysis
To look for the best nephrologists in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, India, Thailand, Germany, Malaysia, Spain, UK and the USA, please use our free search engine at Mya Care.
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