A guide to understanding kidney problems and how to minimize your risk

Kidney can have huge problems that require immediate medical attention. Here's everything you need to know about kidney problems and some simple ways to reduce your risk.

• Inflammation of the kidney — known medically as nephritis — may result from a bacterial infection or a number of other causes, including side effects of drugs.
• Infections sometimes arise elsewhere in the body and reach the kidneys through the bloodstream, or enter the body through the urinary tract and travel up through the bladder to the kidneys.
• Kidney infections, like stones, require a doctor's intervention and must be treated with antibiotics.
• No special dietary measures should be necessary; however, people with kidney infections should drink plenty of fluids. A daily glass of cranberry juice helps prevent recurrence of urinary tract infections in susceptible persons.
• Kidney failure may be either a temporary response to acute shock or injury or a severe long-term state necessitating drastic treatment. Acute kidney failure may be caused by severe infection, burns, diarrhea or vomiting, poisoning (including drug effects or interactions), surgery or kidney injury. When the problem is resolved, function usually returns to normal.
• Chronic kidney failure may be caused by un­treated hypertension, poorly controlled diabetes or an inborn condition. Severe chronic, or end-stage, kidney failure requires regular dialysis — in which a machine removes waste products from the blood — or where possible, kidney transplantation.

Diet is extremely important in the management of kidney failure.

• General recommendations include restricting phosphorus, potassium, protein and salt.
• Fluids must be monitored. With too little, the electrolytes are out of balance; with too much, fluid retention causes edema and electrolyte problems, and contributes to high blood pressure and perhaps congestive heart failure.
• Protein needs must be adjusted as kidney function, dialysis or stress levels change. Studies show that if protein is limited to about one gram per kilogram (0.5 gram per pound) of body weight per day, the patient on dialysis will receive the essential amino acids but reduce the risk of further kidney damage. Proteins from fish, egg whites and legume and grain combinations are preferable to those in meat because they contain less saturated fat.

• No changes in diet should be made without a doctor's approval. Consult ­regularly with a specialist dietitian who will monitor the diet and make any necessary adjustments in the amounts of nutrients, including vitamin and mineral supplements.
• Although an individual who has received a kidney transplant must follow dietary guidelines, the diet is usually less restrictive than the one followed during dialysis treatment. Because the diet is affected by medications taken to prevent rejection of the new kidney, however, the doctor and dietitian will continually make adjustments as recovery progresses.
• In the weeks immediately following a transplant, most people are advised to eat more protein, such as eggs, low fat meat, fish, poultry, skim milk and low fat cheese.
• Carbohydrates are generally limited to prevent interactions with the high doses of steroids that must be taken to prevent rejection. Complex carbohydrates from starchy foods are allowed, but simple sugars should be avoided.
• Salty foods and most processed foods should be eliminated, and no salt should be added.
• The doctor will provide guidelines regarding potassium-rich foods. Supplements may be prescribed.
• A moderate weight gain after receiving a kidney transplant is not unusual; however, if weight does become a problem, high fat foods should be avoided.
• Between-meal snacks can include raw vegetables and fruits, and nonfat yogurt.

Kidney failure requires highly specialized medical care. Keep this guide in mind and contact your doctor for more information.